The Perks
by Blueberryandhoney
Summary: Jack took the risk. He dropped out of college, took out a loan, and now owns a thriving cafe and bakery in Zootopia. His hands are full trying to keep the business running, the goods from burning, and his little sister Judy from drowning in her own enthusiasm. And his new GM Skye is going to help and make sure things run smoothly for the rabbit. Whether her delinquent little brothe
1. Savanna Central Perk

"Alright, Jude! Can you take this to table 3, and grab those empty cups from the coffee table on your way back. Thank you!" Jack turned to the small grey bunny with a tray bearing two fresh steaming cups of espresso and a plate of biscotti. The young bunny frowned as she took the tray from her big brother and let out a little sigh.

"Jack, I need to start prepping for orientation!"

"Gotta earn your keep, Judy. That's the deal." Jack put his paws on his hips and watched his little sister walk around the counter to deliver the order. "You want to stay with me this summer here in the city, you gotta help out here at the cafe. And it's barely nine. That ZPD youth camp isn't until two. That's plenty of time for you to prep after the morning rush is over."

Jack turned back to the espresso machine and the young bobcat working it.

"All caught up here, Bobby? I have to run back to the kitchen and make sure nothing is burning."

Bobby smiled at the row of drink orders, his paws never pausing as he tapped out and pressed the grounds into the filter, reloaded the machine and let the smell of fresh espresso invade his senses.

"Got it, boss! Thanks for the help getting organized! I'll call you if I need anything else!" Any other talk was drowned out by the milk steamer as Jack bounced back to the kitchen. Jonny, his raccoon assistant, was decorating some cupcakes for an order at a prep table in the corner.

Jack rescued a tray of blackberry scones from the oven and with an expert paw separated the parchment holding them from the hot baking tray, the scones settling on another counter designated for cooling. Switching out the scalding tray for a cooler one, he lined it with more paper and filled it with goodies for the display case. A few of the scones, along with some lemon poppy and blueberry muffins, more biscotti ( almond and chocolate hazelnut), fresh sourdough muffins, and small tarts filled with fruit and custard, all ready to sell.

The colorful tray was carried back up front by Jack himself, his ego boosting as the line of customers hungrily eyed the treats he slaved over. Judy had done another lap around the small cafe with a cleaning towel and a bus tub, both of which were taken by Jonny, who had just finished and had followed Jack to the front to lend a hand. After a quick paw wash, Judy helped her brother set the desserts display, the buck thinking out loud and running through his to-do list the entire time.

"Let's see, the starter needs to be fed and separated and then I can prep more muffins before the interview. They should be ready to bake by the time that's over. I can start some more custard and have Jonny start making some cookies. Biscotti, maybe? And chocolate chip. Maybe I can have him do that. It's an old school favorite. Oh! Lemonade and Cookie Sunday! That should be a thing here!"

Judy smiled as she adjusted the muffin display, Jack still muttering to himself as he wandered back to the kitchen. Her brother managed to be both a dreamer and doer, walking the fine line their parents had drawn in sand on what was acceptable rabbit behavior.

Jack Hopps had been the catch in their hometown of Bunnyburrow. His almost platinum color made a striking backdrop for the unusual black stripes framing his face and lining the rest of his body. With piercing blue eyes, taller frame, and ears much longer than another in the Hopps clan, many a doe had been left panting after him.

He was a twelve years older then Judy, but he was her first hero. Always having time to help her study and give her advice, Jack's response to his little sister wanting to be a cop was unwavering support. He had gone to Zootopia for college only to drop out after the first semester, sweet talk a loan out of the bank, and open up the Savanna Central Perk. Their parents were furious.

Barely nineteen and Jack had already loaded himself down with debt. All to chase the dream of making a landmark in the worlds greatest city.

"What if you fail?!" Cried their father, Stu Hopps. Jack had shrugged.

"Then I figure out where I went wrong and try again." He said.

He didn't fail. Jack had been helping his mother in the kitchen since he could walk. She was the worlds best cook and baker. Which naturally made him the worlds second best. Helping a master chef for two hundred picky eaters and counting on a daily basis for seventeen years was no easy feat. And considering the crowd he started with had no qualms about criticizing his hard work, dealing with the masses of Zootopia almost felt like child's play.

Now 25, Jack had been making steady payments and comfortable living. The cafe had grown in popularity, new employees trained, menus adjusted and revised, and now he felt ready to hire someone to give him a hand. Jack had been trying to balance baking the desserts the Perk was becoming known for and keeping day to day operations running smoothly, only to find himself reluctantly admitting he needed help.

But the stack of applicants had yielded no one he could use. If one seemed qualified, they never responded to to his invitation to interview. The others were not only unqualified for employment, but unqualified for even applying. Poor taste jokes, some speicest comments, resumes that could be novels, all making the young buck suffer serious migraines. So bad was the selection, that this applicant coming in for an interview seemed almost to good to be true.

"Let's see, bachelors degrees in restaurant management and hospitality, minor in accounting. And she worked at Snarlbucks as a barista and manager. What's the catch?"

Jonny had been putting the back stock of pastries away before boxing up the cupcakes, while Jack started his list. Though the raccoon had only been with the Perk for a couple months, he was use to his boss's muttering by now.

"Almond biscotti, after you're done, Jon. And chocolate chip cookies, please." Jack had moved to a row of mixers and set one with a dough hook. "And I want to start thinking of some summer stuff. Any ideas would be welcomed."

The raccoon's masked face lit up, paws putting the cupcakes on the ledge of the order window. Jonny spun on his hind feet, apron giving a flutter with motion, paws were snapped and pointed at the rabbit, whose ears shot up at the noise.

"Lemon curd tarts topped with fresh berry compote. Light, refreshing, easy to make. Mom use to make it every summer!"

Jack grinned at him, as he shut the mixer off and scraped his dough onto the prep table to form the muffins. "I love it! Maybe I should start looking up new coffee blends to compliment it. Offer a pairing for the summer!" Jack let the dough rest as he went to wash his hands, mind buzzing.

Heading back up to the front, just in time to see one of his favorite customers receive the freshly decorated cupcakes.

"Oh….em….. goodness…. Jack, these are divine!" Ben Clawhauser had stepped from the register to the drink counter, unable to stop himself from sampling a cupcake. "Why would you bother making anything else!"

Jack couldn't stop a laugh at that as he turned to the kitchen entryway.

"Hey, Jonny, you have a fan. Strawberry shortcake cupcakes are here to stay," he shouted to his assistant. The raccoon grinned and waved his thanks before turning back to his work. "I did hire some talent, didn't I? Glad you like them, Benji. But, from what I hear, shouldn't you be staying away from extra sugar? Aren't you training to get into the police academy?"

"I know! I know!" The large cheetah gave a sad look to the remaining cupcakes and closed the box. "These are actually for my mom for her birthday. Here's hoping she won't notice one missing."

Bobby then set a to-go cup in front of Ben with a smile.

"But I am drinking just plain coffee with almond milk, no sweeter! That's something, right?" Ben visibly steeled himself for a sip of the drink, only to be jolted from behind as a ball of grey slammed into him. Fortunately, the drink didn't spill.

"Benji! Where have you been!" Judy cried, releasing him so he could give her a proper hug. "I haven't seen you my last two visits!"

"Hey Jude! I've been training for the academy. I'm applying for the next semester!"

Judy's eyes went wide, but to spare the cheetah a million questions, Jack cut in.

"Jude, will you see if Jon needs help, please? And tell your mom I said happy birthday, Benji." The cheetah gave a final hug to Judy a before heading to the door.

"Thanks again, Jack! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" Ben held the door open for a vixen to enter as he left, which she acknowledged with a smile at him.

She entered the cafe with what seemed to be hesitancy, looking around at the now diminished line and guests enjoying their drinks, treats and Saturday conversation. Jack watched her straighten up, inhaling a deep breath, then make her way towards the coffee counter. A quick glance at his watch showed ten till ten. His interview!

"Hi! I'm looking for Jack Hopps. I'm here for an interview." The voice was clear and carried the weight of a mammal who could command an army. Jack looked up from his watch and into a pair of eyes so blue, the sky on a clear, bright day like today should be jealous. "My name is Skye."

Because of course it was.


	2. The GM of Perks

"You got this, Skye. You fucking got this!" The vixen brushed the fur around her muzzle and in between her ears for the third time. "You wanna know why you got this?" The brush was moved to the fur around her neck as she made eye contact with her own eyes in the mirror. "Because you're amazing. No strike that. You are the fucking best! Snarlbucks knew it. Every single mammal in your graduating class knew it." Sky blue eyes went half lidded with a sultry grin gracing her muzzle.

"And you will not blow it! You're beautiful, cool, calm, and collected." Skye stepped back to observe her outfit. A simple quarter sleeve black dress that hugged her hips and fell just below her knees. Subdued and professional. It brought out her almost completely white fur and bright blue eyes. Thank you, thrift store!

"And if the jerk interviewing me says he can't give me a job, I'll bite his face off!" She had smiled when she said it but once she did her eyes widened in horror. "I spend way to much time with Nick and his stupid friend."

Leaving the bathroom, she walked to her front door, pausing to gather her bag and keys from the entry table. She smiled at the picture next to the key dish.

Five smiling faces beamed from it, but her eyes went to the one in the center. The red todd smiled, one arm wrapped around his wife (an arctic vixen), the other wrapped around Skye herself.

Her father, Mathew. Well, step father. But he never acknowledged that she was anything less then the real thing.

Knocked up young, when her mother told Skye's real dad about her, he vanished like smoke in the breeze. Vivian had ran herself ragged trying to provide the best she could for her kit.

Skye was three when Mathew Wilde meet met them in the grocery store her mother worked at. Burned by Skye's father, Vivian had written him off as another todd trying to score. But Skye, even as young as she was, saw the punch drunk look he gave her mother.

Mathew pulled out all the stops trying to get her to agree to a date.

Her mother's favorite flowers delivered on an almost daily basis, letters praising her intelligence and sweet disposition, and, once, Mathew stood outside their apartment window with a guitar, softly serenading the two vixens who giggled from their window as they watched him. It took six months to get Vivian to go on a date with him. In less then a month, they fell in love. And in less then a week he fell head over hind paws over the little kit. Within a year, Vivian and Mathew were officially married.

Step daughter she may have been, but Mathew doted on her like she was his own. Even after her brothers were born, Skye was always daddy's little vixen.

"Ok, Daddy! Let's do this!"

Door closed and locked, Skye had to stop herself from skipping to down the street towards The Savanna Central Perk Cafe and Bakery.

She had been in a few times since it had opened, mostly to scope out the competition when she had been at Snarlbucks. She had hated to admit it, but the Perk had impressed the hell out of her.

Small in size, the smell of the fresh baked treats wafted from the cafe and lured her in like a siren's call. The owner must have had an sharp pallet because the coffee blends were much fewer in selection but some of the best and most creative she had tasted. Before she left SB, she had considered going to corporate so they could make this Jack Hopps sell. Thank Karma she hadn't.

SB wasn't interested in helping Skye further her career with the company. Passed over for the district manager position in favor of a mammal 'more qualified', Skye (student loans burning a hole in her composure) updated her resume and moved on. The Perk had a been building a reputation and the eccentric rabbit she had heard owned it needed some mammal to help him. And by Karma, she would be that mammal.

Now she came onto the street that the Perk called home, a handsome row of brownstones, repeating her mantra.

"Cool, calm, collected!" Adding a bounce to her step to get the nerves out, she repeated this until she was just outside the long window front of the cafe. "Cool. Calm. Collected. Now lets get this job!" Skye strode confidently to the door as a large cheetah backed out.

"Thanks Jack! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" The cheetah smiled and held open the door for her as he left. Smiling her thanks, her eyes turned to scan the cafe and daydream a bit about what it would be like to come and work here every day.

The space was not large, obviously more catered to the comfort of medium or smaller mammals. Though a pair of lions at a corner table were happily working on a crossword together.

Credit where it's due, thought Skye, that bunny is really trying to be inclusive.

She took in the corsac fox at the register, cheerfully ringing up family of hyenas. Something she had not expect. Her gaze traveled to the striped rabbit in the white apron behind the counter and noted his confused look. That she did expect. The rabbit lifted his wrist to examine the watch he wore, eyebrows knitted together.

Game time, Skye, she thought, let's get you hired. Stand up straight, take a deep breath, and walk like you already got the job.

She walked up to the rabbit still frowning at his wrist, and with much more confidence than she felt, started speaking.

"Hi! I'm looking for Jack Hopps. I'm here for an interview." The vixen's bright blue eyes met the rabbit's. His frown fell along with his jaw. Skye had to work to keep the smirk off her face. I still got it, she thought. "My name is Skye."

Ice blue eyes blinked a few times, as though he was trying to organize his thoughts quickly. A small shake of his head seemed to do the trick. He smiled and extended a paw.

"That would be me. Jack Hopps, Miss Skye."

She smiled back and tried not to think about how clear and mesmerizing those eyes of his were. Or how the silvery color of his fur seemed to make them seem so deep she could drown just looking into them.

Focus, you idiot, she thought.

"Would you care for some water or a coffee before we began? Bobby over here is my coffee genius and can make you anything." Jack smiled at the bobcat, who rolled his eyes with a shy smile and continued to put his work station to rights. "He won't brag but I will." Turning his attention back to her, the buck smiled expectantly.

"A coffee would be lovely! I tried a Camp Out Mocha last time I was here and I loved it. Anything you want to test on me I'm happy to try." Skye grinned at the barista. Bobby smiled again and set to work, emptying and refilling the filter and prepping the milk.

"I'll grab my notes and your resume if you'll meet me over at that corner table," Jack popped around the counter and down a hallway that lead to the restrooms. Skye peered after him and watched as he disappeared up a flight of stairs she hadn't noticed.

"Here you are, Miss Skye! A cherry almond latte, topped with cinnamon. One of our best sellers." Bobby beamed at the vixen as she took a tentative sip. Just the right amount of flavor without being overwhelmed by the taste, it's sweetness cut with the cinnamon.

"Definitely gotta nail this interview." She said with a nod of her head. She looked the bobcat in the eye and smirked, "Nothing like good coffee to motivate a body. A cat after my own heart!" She tipped the blushing Bobby a wink as she headed over to the table. Settling down and sipping the hot coffee, Skye observed the scene outside the window of the Perk while she waited.

Jack soon joined her with his own cup and a plate of sweets she had seen on display next to the register. They balanced a bit precariously on a clipboard, Jack seeming too distracted to notice that the plate seemed to be slipping as he tried to straighten himself out. Skye held out her paws for it with a smile.

Meeting her eyes again, Jack's ears flushed as he gave her a bashful grin and allowed them to be taken. The vixen watched him settle into his seat with a sigh and briefly study the clipboard in front of him. She took him in, trying not to stare too obviously.

A shiver ran through her as she studied the fur of his arms, noting how fit he seemed for a mammal surrounded by sugar and caffeine all day. She wasn't a good judge on what was considered attractive for rabbits, but there was certain allure to him. Ice blue eyes looked up into sky blue ones and she didn't miss what was surely appreciation for what he saw.

"So, Miss Wilde," he began, "as I said before, I'm Jack, the owner of the Savanna Central Perk. We have been in business for about six years now and I've been trying to balance day to day operations and baking."

Jack went through her credentials, asking about Snarlbucks and school, describing what the job would entail, and finally the pay and benefits that would go with it. A final sum was agreed upon, but not before asking more about Skye herself.

Questions about her life in the city, comments about ZSU ( the very college Jack dropped out of), what she enjoyed about cafe work and her ideas on what made a place something you crave to experience over and over again.

Skye found herself enjoying the conversation more then she felt she should have. The treats he had brought to the table were for her to sample, Jack stating he would need her opinion on what was made. And if she was going to work for him she needed to know what were the best sellers verses what was just seasonal.

The conversation turned to their crazy stories about the industry. Skye made him laugh as she recounted the more colorful employees she worked with. One in particular was convinced milk was used by cows to control the minds of their fellow mammals. Any cow that tried to enter the store was subjected to chocolate chips being thrown at them. The employee in question lasted less than a day.

She was laughing at a story Jack was telling her about when he had first opened when she realized how close they had gotten. Both of their elbows rested on the table top with their forks and plate of treats half eaten and forgotten. Their heads were leaning towards each other and they both made plenty of eye contact. Jack was laughing with her as the story concluded.

"Seriously! I thought she was joking!" He said, slightly breathless with a grin. "Regular iced latte with extra caramel, but no calories! And she said she was in pre med!"

Skye buried her muzzle in her paws to try and stem her amusement. Looking back up into Jack's eyes, she sighed out the last of her laugh.

What blue eyes.

….

Judy had was happy that Jack had hired Jonny. He was extremely goofy, sometimes needing to stop whatever it was he was doing to, as he put it, 'bust a move'. He would clap his paws, shake his hips, and do a weird two step while singing whatever song popped into his. He was, of course, tone deaf. The upbeat raccoon just claimed to be high on life.

The only task he had for her when Jack sent her to the kitchen was dish washing, which she hated. But Jonny kept her entertained enough to get through it. She had just fished up as the raccoon loaded the oven rack with tray after tray of cookies. With a cart load of freshly cleaned plates and mugs, the bunny sang along with Jon as she pushed it up front.

Kari, the corsac fox at the register, pulled the plates while Bobby grabbed the mugs, with Jonny following to grab the cart. Judy looked at the time before scanning the room for her brother. And to her utter amazement, he sat with a vixen looking for all the world like he was on a date.

She knew that while he was living at home, the does of Bunnyburrow had tried their hardest to pin him down. But Judy had never know him to have any interest in them. She always thought he just batted for the other team.

She had lost count of the amount of does their mother had tried to set him up with in the city. Jack always claimed to be too busy with the cafe. Or there was an expo he just had to go to. Or he had a hangnail. The reasons always got crazier.

But looking at him now, he obviously just thought the does' ears were a tad too long. And their tails a bit too small. Maybe, also, their fur wasn't vey fluffy.

The cafe now considerably calmer, Judy grabbed the rag to start cleaning up empty tables and observe her brother.

His own ears were slightly folded in front, elbows on the table and leaning forward with a smile as he interacted with the pretty vixen. He really did look like he was enjoying himself. It was such a shame she had to stay and work the cafe instead of doing her warm ups. Maybe her brother could be convinced to let her leave.

Her back to the table her brother and the vixen sat at, Judy pulled out her cell phone and called the cafe. She glanced over to the registers and coffee counter, where Bobby and Kari were talking about their plans for the evening when the phone first rang. Laughing, the corsac vixen picked it up while flashing the bobcat an obviously coy look.

"Thank you for calling Savanna Central Perk. This is Kari speaking, how may I help you?"

The bunny walked as far from the table as she could a without being obvious and dropped her voice. She hoped her brother was too distracted to hear her. Even for a bunny, those ears of his could pick up noise blocks away.

"Kari, I will give you my cut of the tips if you say this to my brother out loud…"

…..

"Jack, there's some warehouse on the phone for you. They have your order of penis cookie cutters ready, they just need to confirm the address!" Kari bit her lip to keep from laughing as she held out the phone.

Jack had been taking a sip of his now cold drink only to spit it over Skye. Stunned, she calmly looked into her new employer's face. His eyes were wide as he fumbled for the napkin dispenser on the table while stuttering apologies. With his ears flushed with embarrassment and his coffee staining the fur on her face, Skye almost missed the low sound of laughter coming from where the restrooms and stairwell were located.

Spotting two grey tipped ears poking out from around the corner and small paw clutching a cell phone, she put two and two together. Allowing the buck to help clean her up, she meet his still mortified gaze and pointed with one claw towards the laughter.

"Do you know that bunny?" Jack turned to follow her gaze and his expression hardened at the sight of two purple eyes staring back at them. The doe gave an "eep!" before ducking behind her corner again.

"That would be my sister," Jack sighed. A little louder, he called out, "You know you need to be on my good side to stay here for the summer, right?"

"What?" With a perfectly innocent expression, the young bunny brought herself into view. "I thought you liked jokes, Jack!" A sweet smile and eyelash batting followed.

Jack and Skye stood and began clearing their table before making their way over to the counter. Judy came from the cover of the hallway to stand ever so slightly behind Kari. The two females exchanged snorts while Bobby made himself scarce by entering the kitchen.

"Oh I love jokes, Jude! Why do you think I keep saying you came stay here once school gets out?" Jack put a paw on his hip and plucked her cell phone from her, grinning. He causally tossed it over his shoulder, where it clattered loudly onto the floor.

Rolling her eyes, she walked over to where it had landed. Happy it was undamaged, she gave another sweet smile at her big brother.

"I know it's been forever since a female has show interest in you. I'm sorry I interrupted your date, Jack!" And with that, she bounced back towards the hallway out of view.

Jack blushed again and made eye contact with Skye.

"And that is my little sister, Judy. You may not see much of her for a while."

Skye laughed a bit awkwardly but her smile was genuine.

"She should meet my youngest brother. I think they would make a great team. If they wouldn't kill each other first."


	3. Getting into Trouble

Judy was still giggling to herself as she left her brother and the new GM. Past the cash register and around the counter, up the flight of stairs to the apartment just above the Perk, her laughter got progressively louder. Once the she let herself in, the bunny didn't even try to contain herself.

She clutched her stomach as Jack's stricken expression played over in her mind. The vixen, Skye, helped ease the hilarity of situation. Her obvious embarrassment at Judy's remark gave her the first pang of guilt as she composed herself enough to get ready for her warm ups.

A brisk five mile run, then a round through the obstacle course she and Jack had built on the roof. Precinct 1 was only a couple blocks away, so a walk there to cool down would get her ready for the Youth Camp.

She slipped her running gear on and set her phone on it's charger before heading to the door again. At the end of the stairs she heard the voices of Jack and Kari giving Skye a tour of the cafe. Maybe the back door was a better option. She bounced out of it, making sure it was properly latched, then started an easy jog down the ally way to the main street.

Her route was an easy one, down the street towards Savanna Central Park, up and down the steps of city hall, past the ZPD, then the library before heading back. Every time she visited her brother, she took the same route. It was scenic and showed her just how beautiful Zootopia was.

Reaching the park and following the usual dirt path, Judy's eyes closed briefly to take in the warm sun and sounds of the mammals of Zootopia enjoying their Saturday.

"LOOK OUT!" The voice broke her reverie, lavender eyes popped open to see that she had strayed next to the cement sidewalk that circled the watering hole of Savanna Central Park. The sidewalk was lined with a metal rail that was currently being violated by a trio of teenagers about her age, each with a skateboard trying grind it

The last of the three to try it had been the least successful, his weight poorly distributed, causing him to fall from the rail onto the startled bunny. His board shot the opposite direction, as his companions howled with laughter.

Judy and her assailant tumbled together a ways, the breath leaving her body as she landed hard on her back. The mammal had managed to land roughly on his arms and legs with a pained grunt on top of her. His head dropped on the grass next to hers and she heard him hiss in discomfort. All to late, Judy felt her knee connect just above his groin.

"Hey Wilde! You're right!" One of his friends, a tall, lanky grey wolf, trotted over to the pair on the ground. "That WAS awesome! You foxes are the picture of grace!"

Judy's eyes snapped open and met with those of the mammal on top of her. Full of pain and narrowed, their emerald green coloring made her think of home in the spring. Had she been less dazed by their collision, she would've been more appreciative of their beauty.

"I thought ladies were falling all over you, fox! Not the other way around!" Another fox, this one about Judy's size with ears bigger than hers, was still laughing. Neither she nor the todd who collided with her noticed the smaller fox recording the whole incident on his cell phone.

With another grunt, the todd (because apparently Karma ruled her universe) pushed himself up and rolled away from her. He landed on his back and turned his head (didn't even bother with a helmet) towards her. Rubbing the spot her knee had hit, he smirked at her.

"When they're this cute, it's hard not to fall!"

Judy let out an indignant huff as she sat up, trying to stretch her back out of it's stiffness from the fall.

"Don't call me cute!" She said scowling at him. "And the signs clearing say that skateboarding is not allowed in this area. Especially since there's a perfectly good skatepark on the other side of watering hole."

She took a moment to study the fox who knocked her down. She saw he was red furred, with darker paws and ear tips. Hind paws were wrapped in cloth braces to help his grip while skating and keep his paws from being torn up by grip paper. His khaki pants sported tear in the left knee, judging by the dirt it was fresh from the fall. His white t-shirt was now covered in grass stains.

"Aww where's the fun in that? Come on, Carrots. Live a little."

"Live a little? Vandalism is living a little?" Judy stood up and brushed the grass bits off her tail.

"Worrying about something so trivial as the rules certainly isn't. Besides somebunny as cute as you shouldn't be such a goody goody." The fox sat up on his knees as he watched Judy clean herself up. She noticed his eyes focus on her tail as anger at the word 'cute' flashed through her.

"Stop calling me that!" Green eyes met purple as he smirked at her. Standing fully, he put his paws into his pocket and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Stop calling you what? Cute?" He took a step towards her and watched as the bunny's ears and face flushed red with anger. "Cute little nose, cute little paws, cute little tail, cute floppy ears. Cute. Little. Bunny."

The wolf and fennec looked between them, the fox still recording with a grin while the wolf looked worried. He knew what was coming but was a bit too slow. The bunny lunged for his friend and tackled him back onto the grass.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! Come on everyone, we're all friendly here!" The wolf tore the bunny off the bigger fox, who glared from where he lay on the grass. Judy was struggling in the wolf's grip as the red fox looked her over. "Nick, stop being an ass!"

"All right, all right! I'm good, I'm cool!" Judy elbowed the wolf off her as she composed herself. She could feel her nose twitching a mile a minute in aggravation.

"Yeah, Wolford. Can't you see how still that cute little nose of hers is?" Nick stood up and braced himself as Judy lunged at him again. Wolford groaned in frustration and looked over at the fennec, who was also rolling on the grass, laughing.

"Are you going to give me a hand here!" Wolford put his paws on his head while his friend and Judy struggled with each other. "Finnick!"

"Naw, Wolfie!" He gasped as he sat up. "This is just too good! Wilde's getting his tail kicked by a bunny!"

Wolford scoffed at his friend as he turned back to Nick and Judy. And gulped as the hulking cape buffalo stood over them. He and Finnick backed away slowly, grabbing their boards as they did. Wolford rushed to rescue Nick's before dashing away, Finnick hot on his heels.

Two hooves reached down and plucked Nick and Judy away from each other. That didn't stop the two of them from struggling to continue their fight. Giving a long suffering sigh, the buffalo glanced at each of them. He rolled his eyes at the sight of Nick.

"Mr. Wilde, why am I not surprised." Nick scowled at the bunny dangling from his other hoof.

"What's up, Officer Bogo?" The todd breathed heavily and the buffalo started striding to the cruiser waiting for him. "Now, is there anyway you can just set me down and forget you ever saw me? I mean I really didn't do ANYTHING wrong here!"

The buffalo didn't respond as he opened the back door and tossed both teens into the cruiser. The door was slammed shut and the two scrambled away from each other to opposite ends of the backseat.

"That's a 'no'." Nick said sullenly.

….

Jack was taking advantage of the calm in the cafe to go over the books with Skye. They were seated back at the table and he was diligently going over expenses and payroll. Fortunately, Skye's experience left nothing to be desired. The two sat close together and discussed the shop and numbers when Jack's cell phone rang.

The picture that displayed showed him and a cape buffalo wearing fake mustaches and monocles under the display "Adrian". Jack considered it in confusion for a moment before answering. The vixen smiled at him as he answered. She couldn't help feeling a slight flutter in her belly whenever she looked at him.

"What's up, Bogo!" He smiled back at her. But she felt hers fall as his did while listening to the the mammal on the other end. "Wait, wait, wait! Judy, as in my Judy. My little sister, Judy Hopps, who scolds mammals for leaving gum on the sidewalk. THAT Judy, you picked up? For fighting?"

Skye's eyebrows nearly jumped off her face at that. Judy had seemed a bit mischievous, but not violent. Jack sighed as he finished up the conversation with Bogo. The vixen knew the buffalo well, thanks to her youngest brother's own trouble-making abilities.

"I'll be there in ten. Thanks, Bogo." Jack stared at his phone as he ended the call. The striped buck turned to the vixen with tired blue eyes. "Wanna come with me to bail out my little sister?"

Skye grinned at him. She could probably find her way to the precinct with her eyes closed and nose stuffed up.

"Sure!"

…..

In the cool atrium of Precinct 1, two teens sat on opposite ends of a bench. Both had crossed their arms and hunched themselves away from each other. Nick Wilde would huff in anger as he shot evil looks at the doe over his shoulder. Judy Hopps would only flick her ear at his sounds of displeasure. She refused to look at him.

"I can't believe you got me arrested!" The fox hissed. Judy rolled her eyes at that.

"You're not arrested, you idiot. You're just waiting for you mother."

"Says you!" Nick turned to face her. "And why do hate that word anyway? Did it pee in your carrot garden or something?"

Judy turned to face him with an angry growl.

"Are you alway this big of an ass?" She scooted towards him, one paw pointed at his chest, "I'm demeaned enough thanks to my species, I don't need someone like you mocking me, too!"

" 'Oh poor me! I'm a cute little bunny that the whole of Zootopia loves because I'm the epitome of sweetness! Boo- freaking-hoo!'" Nick used his fists to mockingly rub fake tears from his eyes. He lowered them to glare at her. "That's you. That's what you sound like. If you're going to accuse me of mocking you, may as well make the most of it, Fluff."

Judy opened her mouth to retort, only to cut off by a sharp voice from across the atrium.

"Judy Hopps!" Jack came storming up to her followed by Skye, whose eyes landed on the todd the younger bunny was still pointing at. Skye shook her head and pulled out her cell phone.

"Did they call Mom, yet?" She asked Nick. Both bunnies looked between the two foxes in surprise. The todd's ears flattened and his tail curled around himself as he nodded his head. The white vixen tapped the Mom icon on her phone and wandered away for privacy.

"She's your sister?" Judy asked, looking wide eyed Nick. The fox returned her stare with his own.

"How do you know Skye?"

"She's my new GM," said Jack, his paws on his hip as he glared at the bunny doe on the bench. "And you were fighting? YOU?! What were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself stuck in Bunnyburrow?"

"Bunnyburrow!" Nick laughed at her as she scowled at him, "There is an actual town named Bunnyburrow? Why am I not surprised!"

"That's enough out of you, Nick!" Skye came storming up to them, now off the phone which was pointed at her little brother. He widened his eyes and flattened his ears as she glowered at him. "Thankfully I can take you home, but Mom, and myself, are tired of this. You haven't gone a single weekend without getting into some sort trouble. And this is the fifth time one of us had to bring you home from the precinct."

Jack watched as Skye collected her breath. She glanced apologetically at her new boss. He smiled and motioned her to come closer. The vixen approached and leaned her head to the buck as he whispered into her ear. Nick cocked an eyebrow at the pair, noting his older sister's blush and pleased smile. To his disgust, he also noticed her scent change.

Nick looked over at Judy with a quizzical look and jerked his head towards them. Judy responded with a helpless little smile and shrug. Both teens did the unthinkable: they shared a short friendly laugh. Then they promptly went back to giving each other a death glare.

When their siblings broke apart, they turned to the younger pair with satisfied grins.

"Here's what's going to happen, Judy," began Jack, "Tomorrow, you are going to deep clean the kitchen. Every thing is going to be detailed, the floor, the walls, every single sink and counter and table. You'll spend at least four hours every day this summer working the cafe and not complain about it." Judy's mouth fell open in horror. "Or I can tell Mom and Dad. Then, you can not only say good bye to staying here for the summer, but good bye to freedom until you're thirty."

Judy groaned at her options, closing her eyes at her choices, before thrusting her paw out in agreement. Nick cackled with glee at her misfortune until Skye spoke up.

"And you'll be helping her." Her brother stood up in shock, his jaw falling open as he met his sister's eyes. "Or you can spend your summer going with Mom to the hospital. She says they need someone to clean the bed pans and help the janitors." She and Jack exchanged satisfied smiles, his lingering as she turned herself back to Nick. "Your choice."

The todd gave her a furious look and stuck out his own paw, which Skye accepted.

"Oh, this is going to be a fun summer," Skye chirped happily. She turned to grin at Jack and felt her heart kick up as their eyes met. Nick and Judy stared at them with interest and exchanged glances again. Their older sibling gestured for them to follow as they made their way out of the precinct.

Pausing outside the doors, Jack and Skye made arrangements for the following day. Judy turned her back on the others as she waited for her brother. Nick shoved his paws in his pockets and tried to not to stare at her. The doe's fur was still bristling and her arms were folded across her chest. Ears down and foot thumping, it was by pure luck that the todd turned to walk away when his sister did.

Nick had noticed Judy around town. He, Wolford, and Finnick were always skating around Savanna Central. Though they had never met, he had gotten many scrapes and rolled ankles noticing her as she ran her route. He had imagined their first meeting a lot differently. Maybe impressing her with his skating before asking her out for ice cream. Not crashing into her, insulting her, and being arrested with her.

And now he was stuck with her for a whole summer.


	4. Work Things Out

The first thing that greeted Nick and Skye was laughter. Their mother still working her shift at the hospital, the vixen decided her brother would benefit from her supervision. She had kept a firm grip on his shoulder, guiding him to their mother's apartment. Neither said a word to each other the entire time.

Nick's irritation reached it's peak at the sound of Gregory's cackles as he lounged on the couch, watching something on his phone. From the sounds of it, Finnic had sent his big brother the video. And knowing Greg, it wasn't his first viewing.

"I swear watching my kit brother get his tail handed to him by an itty bitty bunny is the funnest shit ever!" He roared. "Seriously, Nick, way to handle yourself."

"Fuck off, Greg!" That earned him a sharp slap to the back of the head from Skye.

"You," she said, grabbing Nick by the ear, "watch your mouth. And you!" Skye dragged Nick to the couch while pointing at her other brother, "Stop antagonizing him! Or you're going to get your tail handed to you by me!"

Greg moved his legs just in time for Nick to be shoved onto the couch next to him. Both todds looked up at their sister, the elder still playing the video on his phone.

"So, wanna tell me why you picked a fight with Judy?"

"Oh my Karma! I didn't pick a fight or start a fight! I was just skating and she got in my way! I called her cute, she went ballistic." Both his siblings scoffed at that.

"Yeah right! I have it on video, Nicky," Greg held up the phone, just at the part where Judy had lunged. "You knew exactly what you were doing and saying."

Greg turned the phone to watch more of the fight, his grin growing.

"Damn…..That is a nice piece of tail." Both Nick and Skye smacked him.

"Dude, she's, like, thirteen!" Skye gave him a disgusted look. Greg made a face of horror and turned the video off, "And my boss's sister. By the way, is it your own personal Halloween or do you have work today?"

Nick looked at his brother and saw him in his Buga Burger uniform. The older todd looked at the time on his phone, before yelping and dashing around the living room. His wallet was scooped from the end table and his house key lay under the recliner.

"You know, is it just me," he said as he pulled himself together to leave, "or does that bunny look an awful lot like the one you always stare at when we're out? I hate to say it, Nicky, but picking a fight with the female you like is something you would totally do."

He straightened up and brushed his uniform off before turning towards the door. It was opened as the grey wolf on the other side was raising his paw to knock.

"And David is here! Hi Dave, bye Dave!" Greg side stepped him as he jogged out of sight.

Wolford gave him a grin as he held up Nick's skateboard and cell phone.

"Drop these?"

Skye went to grab them from him as Nick gave his friend a reproachful look.

"Huh, see so much of your tail, I forget what your face looks like." The wolf rolled his eyes and surrendered Nick's things.

"I'm the one who told you to stop being an ass. If you listened, she would have just huffed away and we could be at Buga Buger making fun of Greg. But, nooooooo. Nick Wilde just has to goad his crush into beating him up!" Skye gave Nick a look of devilish delight while her brother fumed at the wolf. "You're fuckin' sick, dude. OW!"

"Watch your mouths! Oh my Karma! You're thirteen! Stop. Swearing."

"Ok, a) I do not have a crush on a bunny," Nick leaned forward to snatch his phone from his sister, "and b) what was I supposed to do? I'm almost twice her size!"

Skye slammed the board into his lap and took the phone again.

"What's wrong with liking a bunny?" She felt a sight blush creep over her face as green found blue. Nick quirked an eyebrow at her and, for a second, it was as though her father was getting ready to tease her.

"Oh that's right!" This time it was Nick who looked gleeful, "Wolfie, buddy, you'll never guess what happened at the station!"

Wolford looked between the two foxes, the vixen with a forced look of confusion on her face.

Interesting, he thought.

Skye usually had perfect control over her emotions. Even when their father died, her face rarely broke it's cool surface. And while Nick was as intuitive as his species came, at their age he was naturally oblivious to others. If he picked up on something, Skye must have been caught completely off guard.

"Our little Skye here," Skye's eyes widened at that, paws on her hips as her hind paw started tapping, "is hot for a bunny!" Nick grinned at his sister who flushed.

"So that's why you won't give me a chance!" Wolford exclaimed, grinning. "My ears are a bit too short, huh?"

The vixen rolled her eyes, before turning towards the wolf.

"Yeah, that's what it is! Not that you're thirteen and I've changed your diapers before."

This time, Nick laughed at his friend before checking time.

"Don't you have that stupid ZPD camp thing today?"

The wolf, grin intact, nodded.

"Headed there now. Room for one more if you're interested…" Nick bitterly shook his head. Wolford gave a small sigh and let his face drop a bit. "Nothing wrong with following in the old todd's paw prints you know."

The wolf turned for the door. His smile was a bit more reflective as looked back at his friend staring as his skateboard. He opened the door, hesitating on his next words.

"Think about it."

Skye didn't watch him leave, choosing instead to study her brother. He didn't let her ponder for long before he heaved himself up and headed to his room. Skye followed behind him, standing in the doorway as he tossed the board aside and fell back onto his bed. Green eyes focused on the ceiling with paws behind his head.

Debating silently, she let out a quiet breath before walking to where he lay and tucking the phone by his side. She crouched to be ear level with him.

"I'm going to head to the market to pick up something special for dinner to celebrate the job. Any requests?" Nick didn't look at her as he shook his head. "All right. Stay here. I won't be long and I'll let both Mrs. Oak and The Frosts know you're here. No sneaking out."

Her white paw reached out to stroke between his ears, at last making him turn to look at her. She gave him a soft smile before kissing his nose. Nick didn't smile at her, but rather focused his attention back towards the ceiling. One head shake later and the vixen headed out.

Skye closed his door as she left, leaving the young todd alone with his thoughts. He felt bitter about the day. Not because the doe had attacked him. Greg was right. He had known what he was doing.

He also knew the pretty bunny would never had gone near him if he hadn't antagonized her. And that thought made Nick feel even more lost. Crashing into her was an accident. But when his nose registered her scent for the first time, he had to figure out how to get her close again. He had imagined how she would smell for a few weeks now and reality had, for once, been better.

His friends were picking out their favorite females from their school. And Greg, it seemed, had a date with a different vixen every weekend. It seemed like none of them were interested outside their species. There were even a few vixens in his classes that gave him second and third glances. But they didn't get the reaction Judy seemed to provoke.

He felt awkward asking his mom or Skye about what he was feeling. His brother would tease him mercilessly, as would Finnick. Wolford he may be able to talk to, he seemed to into any female with a pulse. But he didn't want to make it weird. Everyone seemed to have already guessed his feelings about Judy. It was enough to make him feel like a freak.

But then again, Skye was attracted to a bunny…

An alert from his phone broke his contemplation. One quick glance showed it was from Finnick.

The video!

Nick couldn't stop himself from pressing play, groaning as he saw his friend had his camera focused on the bunny from the waist down for the first thirty seconds. He felt himself grow indignant on her behalf. Until he pressed pause.

Feeling like he should be more disgusted with himself than he was, he got up and locked his door.

…..

Jack and Judy were a bit more talkative than Nick and Skye on their way back. Though Judy had tried to keep herself slightly distant from her irritated brother. Jack was having none of that, grabbing her paw when she fell back. He dragged her next to him as they headed for the cafe.

"Was that the first time or the last time I pick you up from the police station?" He asked, not looking at her. Judy dropped her ears and looked down.

"Last."

"I'm glad to hear it. So, who started the fight?" The rabbit buck looked down at his sister as they got closer to the Perk. "And I'll know if you're lying."

"….I did…." She looked up at him as they approached the doors, "But, Jack, he called me 'cute'! Everyone knows you can't call a rabbit 'cute'! He did it to antagonize me!" Her brother allowed her to enter first, one paw rubbing the bridge of his nose, with his eyes squinted shut.

Jack released a sigh and headed around the counter. The cafe was still quiet, with only a couple new faces added to the seating area. Bobby, Kari, and Jon had paused their chat to look over at the two Hopps'. The elder threw his paws into the air and put on a horrified expression.

"Oh, no! Not 'cute'! Anything but 'cute'!" Jack brought his paws down and regarded her coldly. "Do you know how many mammals have called me cute while I've been in this city?" Judy shook her head.

"Way too many. My first year was a chorus of 'Oh look at the cute little bunny and his cute little stripes!'" Jack snorted in disgust at the memory. "If you want to be a cop here, Jude, I guarantee you will hear mammals call you that everyday. So I suggest you get that nasty temper of yours under control and get over it," her brother retrieved his apron from under the cash register, "or find a new dream. Making the world a better place starts with how you react to it."

He looked over her shoulder to the tigress on the other side of the glass door. He gave her a small nod of acknowledgment, which she returned with a grin, before he focused back to Judy.

"Just, you know, stop with the emotionally unbalanced crap and start tapping into that sweet Hopps charm," Jack grabbed an empty display plate from the case and handed it to Jon. The raccoon turned back to the kitchen with his boss following, calling over his shoulder as he did, "I can't be the only Hopps' that has it."

Judy snorted as the tigress stopped next to her. She looked up into her friends amber eyes and shook her head.

"Know it all." The bunny muttered.

"I heard that!" Judy winced but the tigress laughed at the rabbit's antics.

"All set?" Brooklynn grinned down at her friend.

The two had met on Judy's first weekend visit with Jack several months ago. She had gone into an ice cream store that served larger mammals. When the elephant behind the counter had tried to refuse the little bunny service, Brook had stepped in on her behalf. The two split a Junior Sunday and had been best friends ever since.

Looking at her brother through the order window, the doe sighed and nodded. The enthusiastic tigress bounced out with a thoughtful Judy following.

"By the way, why do you look like you picked a fight with a lawn mower?"

….

"Seriously? You got into a fight with Nick Wilde?" Brook almost ran into an elephant in her shock. Judy jumped to keep herself from being crushed by either of them.

"Yeah," wrinkling her eyebrows, she peered up at her friend, "you know him?"

"Everyone knows the Wildes. Matthew Wilde was Zootopia's first fox officer."

"Real-oofftt!" In response to the statement, Judy's head snapped up in surprise. Had she kept her eyes on the sidewalk, she wouldn't have ran into the light post. With a now aching chin, the bunny thoughtfully processed what Brook had said to her. "What happened to him?"

Brook's face grew a bit darker as the came to the precinct. A small collection of youths about their age were milling around a registration table.

"Did you hear about that night howler case a few years back?"

"I learned a little about it in school. For agriculture. I didn't know there were any casualties."

"Just one. Matthew Wilde and his partner were the ones working the case. One of the victims was a jaguar who went savage. The jaguar went after the partner, but Officer Wilde put himself between them. He died from his injuries the next day."

Judy felt her ears drop as she thought about it. She had always wanted to be a cop and couldn't imagine being anything else. But the risks were high. Of course, there was no guarantee she would be facing off with savage mammals but that didn't mean some other freak occurrence couldn't happen. She would have to some research on Officer Wilde.

And figure out how to face Nick when she saw him tomorrow. She was starting to feel a bite of guilt for her reaction earlier today. Giving a sigh, the bunny resolved to apologize to him and Skye.

Both females came up to the table, Judy's ears barely peaking over it. The pig boar stood a bit to look over the table. Quirking his eyebrows at her, the pig seemed shocked when he spoke.

"You lost, little bunny?"

"No, I'm here for the camp," Brook and Judy folded their arms, the bunny's foot tapping a mile a minute. "The name's Hopps and this is-"

"Brooklynn Fangmeyer."

All three looked over to the lanky grey wolf standing with his paws on his hips. Brown eyes wide and bright as they rested on Brook, his tail wagged uncontrollably as his ears and grin skyrocketed up. Brook closed her eyes and groaned as he attempted a smooth stroll up to them.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing at a place like this?" He let his eyes go half lidded as he leaned up against the table. "My little kitten ready to run with the big dogs?"

Judy snorted into her hand as she looked between the two. She vaguely recognized him from somewhere. Brook opened her eyes and glared at him.

"Oh, David, I don't have enough time to tell you how much I'm NOT your little kitten." She glanced down at her friend still giggling, "Besides, I should save my energy for kicking your tail at the obstacle course."

Wolford's smile just got bigger.

"Whatever turns you on, gorgeous. My tail is yours to do WHATEVER you want with." The wolf wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her. She did give him a small laugh.

"You know, Dave? You're such a sweet, nice, charming pup," she accepted hers and Judy's name tags. She smirked at him before they both turned to join the rest of the group, "don't make me hurt you."

They left him still smiling after them. His tail wagging, he pulled out his phone to snap a quick picture of the bunny as she looked back at him. Starting a text message, he added the picture with a brief message and sent it out.

…

Nick lay spent on his bed. The alert on his phone startled him, but he recovered quick enough to open it.

-guess whos at the camp- Wolfie

Nick had never gotten dressed so fast. Skye almost broke her neck as he bolted past on her way in.

"Hi Skye! Bye Skye! Gotta go to camp! See ya, love ya!"


	5. Step

The group of young mammals found themselves on track just off of the precinct. The center had an obstacle course set up, designed to test the speed and agility of the various mammals who made up the ZPD. Each precinct had some variation of it.

"So! You youngsters want to be part of Zootopia's bravest and finest! Is that right?" The tall lion paced in front of the row of fidgety young mammals, listening to the meek voices confirming his question. "I didn't hear you!"

His sudden shout cause all of them to jump, Judy having to flatten her ears at his near roar.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"That's more like it!" The lion grinned down at them all as he continued, "My name is Chief Simba Pride and I'm in charge of the best damn precinct in Zootopia. For the next four weeks, this camp will give you a taste of what the cadets at the ZPA go through to wear our uniform. Partner up!"

Brook and Judy grinned at each other as the rest raced around, trying to get paired with friends. The bunny had just snapped her attention back to the chief, who was talking to a female polar bear, when someone knocked her elbow. Startling a glance out of her, the doe almost got whiplash from the double take.

Nick stood with paws behind his back, his elbows obnoxiously thrown out. A smirk firmly in place on his muzzle, he didn't even look at her when she huffed at him.

"What are you doing here?" Judy growled up at him. Brook's attention was drawn from the polar bear who had taken over the camp to the duo next to her. David was grinning as he watched from his peripheral.

He broke record time getting here, thought the wolf. He definitely wants to make his dad proud.

"Hey, Carrots, do you mind? I'm trying to get my cop on over here," Nick still smirked as he kept his eyes trained on the new instructor. He really wasn't paying attention though. Something about the obstacle course…..

"Huh…" Judy pulled her gaze away and tried to focus on what was being said. The fox now turned his eyes towards her. Raising his eyebrows, she felt satisfaction as his smirk faded. He obviously was hoping for more of a reaction.

"What?"

Oh ho, she thought, two can play this game.

"Nothing," she said with a shrug and smirk of her own, "it's just when a CUTE, little bunny beats up a big, bad fox, you'd think the fox would be a bit more apprehensive about facing her again."

"Ok, listen here, Officer Fluff! You didn-"

"Well, well, well! There's one in every group, but most wait until it's not pitch quiet to start challenging each other!" The polar bear loomed directly over him and Judy. The bunny's ears dropped as she flushed red while the fox simply gulped and gazed up at the formidable instructor. Her brown eyes softened slightly when they went over his name tag, before hardening again.

"Wilde is it? Your dad holds some records at the ZPA. One of the finest officers I've ever trained. No pressure, but I know all of us here are curious to see what you can do. Now stop flirting with your girlfriend and eyes forward. Same goes for you, Cottontail! Just 'cause this todd looks like a carrot don't mean you can stare at him like he is!"

Both teens nearly passed out from embarrassment as the ripple of giggles hit their ears. Judy dared a slight glance and meet the green eyes of the todd next to her. The instructor moved on as David turned his head to look at the other three.

"You know, we're going to learn how to spar here," he murmured. "You can totally take her, Wilde."

Nick's ears shot up and his smirk returned.

"I totally could." The cocky remark made Judy scoffed but all three were pulled towards the low chuckle coming from the tigress next to her.

"You are just too precious, Davey, if you think that scrawny little fox of yours can take on Judy Hopps."

David raised his eyebrows at Brook.

"So if, say, you were a betting mammal, you would put your money on Ears over there?"

"David, I don't need to be a gambler. I'm just smart," her eyes turned to meet the wolf's, "so, yes. I would bet my money on the bunny to beat Red there any day of the week." One claw reached up to tap her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I'm fairly certain we have one day of the week down already! Right, Wilde?"

Nick leaned over to Judy. "At least they remembered we're still here," before the words registered, " and she DID NOT BEAT ME UP!"

The last bit came out louder than he thought, causing the other three to snort as all eyes fell on them again. The todd grumbled as the instructor zeroed in on him again.

"More commentary to add, Foxy? I was going to only have you guys run three lap around the track. Figured it would be enough to get the heart pumping! Thought I was gettin' soft in my old age," the polar bear almost casually strolled over to the tower once more in front of the fox. "I'm thinking, maybe I'm right. SIX LAPS CADETS! And don't forget to thank Wilde and his little friends when you're done them."

Nick's ears fell as everyone one again focused in on the quartet. David and Brook closed their eyes and groaned. Judy was the only one who clapped her paws enthusiastically and began to bounce in anticipation. Her morning run had been interrupted and now she could make up for the loss.

Oblivious to the angry stares of her fellow youths, the doe hopped off to start her laps. Brook grinned when she looked over at the todd who had perked up as he watched her bound away. Seeming to snap out of it , he scrambled after her, falling only a few paces behind her lead. With a collective groan, the others followed.

David and Brook lagged behind to grin at their friends. They started an easy jog as the wolf broke the silence.

"So, are you a betting mammal, Fangmeyer?" His ears went erect and his tail set to an eager wag.

"Not with my money, Wolfie." She rolled her eyes as the wolf jogged a bit closer to her. A quick snap from her tail caused him to yelp in surprise and move back a fraction.

"Glad to hear it! I haven't got any!" The tigress gave him a confused glance. That was a quick recovery. "I bet you Wilde makes no effort to pass the bunny while running his laps."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she sought out the fox in question. She splayed her ears in confusion. "You make it sound like he has a boner for her, Davey."

"The biggest." He let out a chuckle as the tigress's ears and tail went ridged in surprise.

"So why on Earth would I bet that? Especially since you told me you're broke and I know how your perverted mind works." David nodded in acknowledgment of her logic.

"It can think up some very dirty things."

Brook felt a slight rush of wind as the bunny passed her, her purple eyes set with determined focus. She had already ran a full lap before they even went half way around. Nick was right behind her, the jog he started with now a full run. His gaze glued to the tail twitching in front of him, causing feet to to trip over every imperfection on the track.

"Males…" she growled under her breath. "You just said he has a thing for her and expect him to win with her tail moving like that?"

"I know. We're sick, aren't we?" David winked at her.

"Your todd won't make it far if he doesn't pace himself."

"Don't underestimate him. I'll let you have this round. But just wait until the obstacle course. When we kick your tails there, you and Judy have to buy us ice cream for a week."

Brook ran a little faster with a grin.

"You are aware that bunny spends any free time she has working and training for this camp, right? I've seen her work out routine and the course she built with her brother. Wilde doesn't stand a chance."

"And you're aware you're talking about Officer Wilde's kit, right? As in the first fox officer of the ZPD and valedictorian of his class. Nick's practically a carbon copy of the todd!"

Her eyes moved to the center of the training grounds. Designed without megafauna in mind, the course itself was raised high enough to fit a full grown rhino comfortably under it. A series of roped nets, monkey bars, swinging tires of various sizes, and what was essentially a giant slip and slide, it was enough to keep the spirit of the ZPD young.

It seemed as though certain spots of the course had multicolored batons attached. One partner would navigate the course, while the other followed below catching the batons.

Kitten's play, thought the tigress.

"And when Judy and I win, we'll negotiate terms then!" Brook picked up speed as she pulled away from David."I did say I would kick your tail there and I try to keep my word!"

…..

Judy had finished her laps with Nick stumbling and gasping behind her. While the bunny still jogged in place and stretched her arms, the todd was doubled over panting as though the air couldn't enter his lungs fast enough. Judy paused and looked over at him with concern.

Nick's exhaustion allowed her to creep behind him unnoticed. His tail lay limp and still, save for a twitch here and there, and one small paw reached out towards it. Watching his reaction closely, she gave the fur a firm tug. And choked on her laughter as he straightened up and yipped in shock.

"What are you DOING?" His eyes were wide as he cradled his tail in his paws. Nick was still panting harshly, but at least now he wasn't bent over.

"Trying to breathe when you're bent like that only makes it harder to catch your breath," she smirked at him and started to wander off towards Brook as she finished up her run, "so I thought I would correct you."

"You could've just said something!"

That made Judy turn to walk backwards, smirk still in place.

"And miss out on you screaming like a little bunny? Never!" And with that she turned to join Brook and the rest of the group at the obstacle course.

David jogged up to him still grinning. Nick narrowed his eyes at her as she and the tigress giggled together and looked pointedly the pair.

"There's a standing date every day for week on the line here, Wilde. Ready?" The wolf and fox didn't even look at each other as they marched over to the others. Nick let his muzzle curl into a smug grin of his own.

"Oh yeah."

…..

"What's the matter, Carrot Farmer? I figured you bunnies would be good at this!"

Judy looked up from her place in the safety net at the fox grinning down at her. He dangled upside from the monkey bars, before swinging his torso up to finish his crossing. With infuriating ease, Nick maneuvered his way towards the baton attached to the end of them.

She followed its progress into the waiting paws of David. Both males saluted the bunny before they took off for the tire swings. With a frustrated huff, Judy pushed herself up towards the climbing rope to return to where she had fallen from. The bars were ever so slightly too wide for her arm span, as she learned the hard way. So she climbed on top of them and hopped from rung to rung, focusing on the todd just ahead of her.

Both teens had their eyes on the rope of the forth swing. It was another climb but getting the baton would be worth it. Just to see that smirk fall from Nick's face. Reaching the edge, one giant leap put her right on top of the first swing, just behind Nick.

He turned in surprise, before grinning again.

"You know there's no shame in calling it quits!" He called to her cheerfully. Judy gritted her teeth and scowled at him.

"Yes there is!" That only caused the fox to raise his brow.

"That's the spirit."

And with that, Judy launched herself towards him. Nick yelped and tried to swing away from the flying bunny. Her paws connected just barely to the inside of the swing. But the grip she had was weak at best and slipping.

"Rabbit! Whatever you do, do not let go!" Brook shouted up to her. Several other youths, who had been trailing farther behind the pair but were catching up, now watched slack jawed. Nick had put to much force into the swing, though the fox was trying to angle himself to help her up.

But something caught Judy's eye. Another climbing rope attached to the third swing!

"Brook! I'm letting go!"

"WHAT!" David, Brook, and the others all collectively held their breaths.

Judy waited for the upswing and released her grip on the tire. Nick, seeing her focus had shifted, followed through with her. The rope almost slipped through her fingers before she fixed her grip on it. Though the tire jolted as Nick stuck his landing above her, the bunny put paw over paw to get to her target.

Pulling herself onto the tire, she was ready to give the fox her best glower. Except he wasn't there.

"Ah-hm!" Weary purple eyes looked to the forth swing and the fox swinging on it, bright baton in paw. "You," she watched with exasperation as he pointed it at her, "are a clever bunny." And with that, the baton was dropped to the wolf waiting below.

"Don't be mad, Carrots, I've been doing this since I was born," Nick was already crossing the remaining tires towards the drop off for the slip and slide. One more wink followed by a salute and he was gone.

David looked at the tigress's dumbstruck expression.

"Mmmmmmmm! I can practically taste how delicious that ice cream is going to be!"

Brook clenched her fists as the wolf took off after the fox.

…

Judy and Brook were leaning against each other gulping down big breaths of air. They didn't even have the stamina to watch the victory dance being performed by the two males who had conquered the obstacle course. With his tail wagging, David strolled over where the females were trying to compose themselves.

"Now don't feel too bad ladies!" The wolf wagged his eyebrows as the tigress's accusing glare. "Nick and I have only been through this course once or twice-"

"A week," said the fox strolling up with half lidded eyes and a smug look of triumph, "since we were, what?"

"Five? Maybe six?" Both males looked at Judy and Brook, who straightened up to glower at them. Nick's smile grew as he met Judy's eyes.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," the bunny's ears stood straight up and her eyes narrowed, "and consider us even for this morning."

Their camp instructor stopped Judy's retort as her mouth opened, only to dismiss the group of youths with the remaining days for the camp and their outline of activities. As he turned to leave, the todd found himself face to face with the irate bunny.

"This isn't over, Wilde," she stabbed her finger into his chest. "You're going to be stuck with me all summer and I'll have plenty of opportunity to get back at you."

Laughing, Nick kneeled forward and put his paws on his knees.

"You are going to be the cutest little meter maid Zootopia has ever seen, Fluff!" Standing again, he walked past her towards the precinct entrance. "You may even make supervisor one day!" He turned to give her a salute before vanishing inside.

David rolled his eyes and shook his head before leaning up to whisper into Brook's ear.

"I prefer the Major Peanut Butter Explosion from Jumbeaux's Cafe," the tigress sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "it's big enough to share." He winked at Judy as her ears shot up and she sent a disgusted look his way. "Ladies."

With a smile, the wolf strolled off after his friend.

…

In the holding cells of precinct one, a weasel sat in the corner of his cell, nursing the start of a very impressive hangover. He sat with his knees up and his head buried in his hands. The jangle of keys got his attention, but he ignored the officer opening the cell for him.

He walked the familiar steps towards the reception desk, ready to veer right, away from the exit. Familiar steps. Towards the familiar hallway. Where he could meet a familiar pair of eyes and apologize. Again. And again.

Taking his usual course, head still down, he ran into the legs of Bogo. The buffalo reached down to steady the weasel. Having banged his head hard on the larger mammal's knee, the pain of the hangover intensified. Weary and bloodshot eyes looked up at the hulking officer.

"Weaselton."

"Bogo." He side stepped him and continued his route, now massaging the throb in his forehead.

"If I were you, I'd skip it this time." The advice caused a flare of anger in him as he paused in his steps. Head still in paws, teeth clenched to keep the growl rising up at bay.

"And you can fuck right off, Bogo," Weaselton shook his head, back still turned, and let his paws drop into his pockets. The slight rattled coins and the crumpled wad of bills he found there promised just enough for a drink when he completed his task.

"It won't make you feel better, Duke. I promise you, you want to sit this one out."

The weasel pressed on. Soon he found himself in the familiar hallway. Only then did he raise his head, only to stop in his tracks when he realized he wasn't alone there.

Nick stood in front of his father's photo, polishing the name plate with an old red bandanna. The young todd drew in a deep breath and froze. His head snapped over in Weaselton's direction and the familiar green eyes narrowed with anger.

Weaselton felt the blood drain from his face as he held Nick's gaze. For one painful heart beat, he thought his partner had returned from the dead. Only the eyes were different. They were green, like Matthew's, and they had the same shape. Though Matthew Wilde's were always full of laughter and mischief.

But Nick's burned with anger. And resentment. Both the weasel felt he deserved. It was the biggest reason he had done everything to avoid the Wilde family. The coward in him had him turn tail whenever they crossed paths. So he listened to that small coward inside him and ran.

Nick had been feeling good about the day. He had only this morning thought that spending the day at the precinct would be torture. His father had taken him to the exercise grounds and through the obstacle course so often, he could navigate it with his eyes closed. There were too many memories in this building.

He had thought being here would be emotionally draining. The way his stomach flip flopped when he entered the training yard was supposed to be proof of that. But he had ended up having fun. David had joked with him, Brook hassled him, and the camp director had busted his tail and treated him like just another camper.

And Judy. She had pushed and challenged him. She didn't look at him with pity, didn't patronize him, and didn't show any fear when he got close to her. The fact that she was willing to fight him to show her lack of fear was refreshing. And she now owed him ice cream for a week!

But in the span of ten seconds, every good thought he had was gone. Nick felt the irrational stab of anger when he met the familiar brown eyes of Duke Weaselton. Anger at the instructor bringing up his dad. At David for goading him into joining. Judy for not showing the Wilde name proper respect. And consuming rage at Weaselton and his dad.

Nick looked up at Matthew's photo and hated him. Hated him for sacrificing himself for this thankless job. And he hated Duke Weaselton for letting him.


	6. Mr Sunshine

Skye had been worried about her youngest brother from the moment he had darted past her on the stairs. She couldn't have been gone for more than an hour, maybe an hour and a half. By the time she had dropped her groceries to chase after him, he was down the street and almost out of sight.

Her stomach had been in knots until she received the picture of him and David posed in front of the ZPD obstacle course. Skye's eyes had gotten misty and a feeling of contentment bloomed in her chest. She was happy she had grabbed everything to make Nick's favorite dinner: fish tacos!

But the energetic kit who had left was not the one that returned. Vivian had been allowed to leave her shift early. She and Skye were laughing in the kitchen, preparing dinner, when the front door bursted open. After it had been slammed shut, angry paw steps could be heard marching into the hall, followed by the slamming of another door.

Vivian had rushed out, catching the scent of her youngest as he vanished into his room. Skye stood behind her mother, both vixens exchanging worried glances. Crossing tentatively to his door, Vivian placed her paws upon it and listened closely.

"Nicky, baby?" She called in a soft voice.

"Go away," Nick sounded simultaneously angry, hurt, and exhausted.

"Sweetheart, I can't help you if you don't talk to me, baby," their mother begged again.

Skye stood with her arms crossed and ears perked towards the door. Her tail flicked nervously behind her. And her little brother's response almost turned her savage.

"I don't WANT or NEED help! I just WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!"

Vivian backed away from the door, tears threatening to fall but her brows furrowed in thought. She turned to her daughter and nodded towards a closed door next to her.

"Grab a fur pin for me, sweetheart," she said, her voice carrying a bite to it.

Skye narrowed her eyes at her brother's bedroom door and stomped off to the bathroom. Fishing through a drawer, she found an old fur pin. Their mother had excess fur between her ears that would cover her eyes if she was between groomings. The pins helped until appointments were scheduled.

Now, one would serve a different purpose.

She marched to the door, straightening the pin as she did, and inserted it into the flimsy lock. One quick twist had the door open, revealing a very pitiful Nick sitting in the middle of his bed. His head jerked up in confusion and anger as Skye and Vivian entered the room, more than matching his temper.

He stood up and put his paws on his hips. But Skye spoke before he could make a sound.

"SIT ON THE BED AND SHUT UP!" Her little brother's mouth snapped closed as his ears fell back and he did as he was told. "I have had it up to here," one snow white paw extended past her head, "with these little displays of 'woe is me, my life is awful, blah, blah, blah, I'm a prick!', load of crap you have been pulling for the last three years!"

Nick narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry I'm not over loosing my dad yet like you are, Skye. I guess seeing his partner alive and well made me a bit snippy. I'll try to consider YOUR feelings next time I realize I'm never going to see him again."

Skye thought she was angry before. But what she felt now was blind fury. It took everything she had not to smack him. A strangled sob from behind her quelled her temper slightly. Or at least kept her from causing the little shit bodily harm.

"You will never, EVER accuse me of brushing off Dad like that again. EVER." She took another step towards Nick, who curled up into himself. "You are not the only mammal here who thinks of him. You are not the only mammal here who misses him every single day. Just because we're not being as loud and obnoxious with our grief as you are doesn't make it less real for us.

"I get you're still hurt, Nicky, I do. Trust me," she turned to sit on the bed with her back to him. "But you can't keep treating your family like this. You can't keep loosing yourself to this. It's bad enough we lost Dad, we don't want to forget everything he helped build for us."

She heard him sniffle and shift as her mother came to sit with them. Vivian opened her arms to the todd, who crawled into her lap. Flicking her tail into Skye's lap, she stroked his ears and let him cry. The younger vixen leaned into the two of them, her own tears mingling with theirs.

"So, was the camp that bad?" Vivian asked. This earned a watery chuckle from her son. He pushed himself up and wiped a paw under his eyes.

"It was actually pretty fun," he said shakily. "David and I won a bet against Judy and Brook Fangmeyer and now they have to buy us ice cream for a week."

That earned him a nudge and a laugh from both vixens. Skye reached over to stroke her baby brother's ears. He turned guilty eyes to her.

"See? Things are looking up," she smiled at him. "Now, Mom and I worked our tails off making an awesome dinner for our next future police officer." Nick's ears perked and his nose flared, trying to pick out the smells. "Beet salad, side of raw onions, and steamed brussels sprouts!"

Skye laughed again at his horrified expression. "Just kidding."

"Let's get some food into you, baby," Vivian pushed herself up and headed to the door, her kits following closely. She let Skye pass before turning to Nick with a stern eye. "After dinner, it's straight to bed! I want you bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow. Skye told me about today and if you are anything less than a perfect angel tomorrow to her boss, his sister, and any of her employees, I will have you at the hospital cleaning bedpans with your tail."

She walked after her daughter and couldn't resist a parting jab.

"And you're taking a sex ed class this summer at the hospital, too," she called with an hint of humor in her voice. Nick's jaw dropped.

"MOM!" He ran after her. "Seriously?"

"Either take the class, or have the talk with me," she said sweetly. Both vixens laugh as the todd groaned.

Joining together in the kitchen, Skye shook her head as she handed them their plates. Each were piled with food, with some being set aside for Greg when his shift ended, and they went to take their places at the table.

Her phone's cheerful beep caught her attention, and as she needed to grab the hot sauce anyway, couldn't resist checking it.

-it occurred to me that i had your number, but you don't have mine. so this is me texting you. so you have mine :) Jack-

A blush spreading under her fur and through her ears, she bite back a smile.

-how many times did you write that out and erase it?- Skye

-….irrelevant. all that matters is i did eventually send it- Jack

-you did! very smooth, btw.-Skye

-?- Jack

-making me wait, what? almost 5 hours before giving me your number? you know how to keep them on edge, Mr Hopps ;) - Skye

She could practically see his blush as she waited for his response. How those ice blue eyes of his probably widened a bit at the insinuation, how his ears were most likely standing straight and flushed pink-

"Hey, Snow-ball! Are you going to join us?" Her mother's voice broke her train of thought. The nickname got a laugh out of her brother when she turned back, hot sauce in paw.

Her dinner was eaten with only half a mind. The other half was fixed firmly on each new notification her phone gave. Her anticipation was making her barely register the taste of her meal. It was only the fact that her mother would have smacked her with a dish cloth if she just shoved everything into her mouth just to be done with it.

Once the meal was finished, Nick was sent on dish duty. He kept his grumbling to a minimum. Vivian kept him company as he washed up, eagerly trying to pull details about the female he liked out of her embarrassed son. And her mentioning some of their father's romantic moves earned groans from both of them.

Skye laid on the couch, trying not to smile like a fool as she and Jack continued their back and forth. She had snagged extra pillows and blankets, figuring it would be easier to stay the night. That way she could just drag Nick out of bed and bring him with her to work.

With will power she didn't know she had, her phone was set aside in favor of the bathroom, taking advantage of her little brother being too preoccupied to annoy her about taking her time in there. She found an extra tooth brush and began prepping for bed. A stolen pair of pajama pants and a tank top from her mother's closet slipped on, Skye finished just as Nick decided she was taking too long.

She paused before leaving, grinning as the young todd beat an intricate rhythm on the door.

"SKYESKYESKYESKYE!" He shouted between each thump. She chuckled as his knocks became more frantic, begging her to let him so he could relieve himself.

"Tell me I'm the most beautiful, gorgeous, fantastic-" Skye jumped as a louder knock vibrated the door.

"Skye, let your brother in right now!" Came Vivian's stern voice. "And Nick! Stop being annoying!"

The younger vixen opened the door and ducked out.

"Yes, ma'am," both kits muttered in unison.

After the house was settled and it's occupants were drifting off to sleep, Skye stayed awake. She read and reread some of Jack's texts. He responded quickly to her new ones.

It was mostly nonsense, like how Jack's mixer needed to be perfectly alined with each other before he closed the shop for the day. She told him she couldn't walk past a penny and not pick it up. She tried once. And ended up leaving her apartment at midnight to find it. The conversation was light and funny enough to make up for the lack luster afternoon.

When she finally closed her eyes, her dreams were filled with stripes and ice blue eyes.

She never noticed that someone didn't come home that night.

…

Jack lay in his bed, dozing. He could vaguely hear Judy in the other room getting up and around. Normally he would be up with her but he had been up later than normal the night before. The rabbit buck smiled as he thought back to his conversation with Skye.

Well, he thought with a smile, exchanging of quirks. Bosses can do that with their employees, right?

Jack was surprised to hear that her brother had been at the camp that afternoon. It did explain why his sister came back grumpy. She had stormed into the apartment muttering under her breath about 'another smart ass know-it-all who I want to smack'. But when she thought he wasn't looking, a small smile would creep up on her muzzle.

Her brother just assumed it was one of the many youths who had attended the camp. The buck even let the curse word slide. Until Skye had forward a picture of Nick and a friend in front of an obstacle course. Jack had not succeeded in keeping in his laughter. His sister wasn't appreciative.

-joining us anytime soon, boss? :)-Skye

The buck smiled at that.

-debating. The bed and i are one and would hate to betray it's trust.-Jack

-you sound like Nick. i don't think he knew 6 am existed! should i send a rescue party?- Skye

-my bed will fight them. it's very protective :)-Jack

-i'm moving a mixer…-Skye

-BE RIGHT THERE!-Jack

That last one earned laughter from him. A quick glance at the clock showed it was almost six fifteen. Such laziness wasn't tolerated in the Hopps household. A checklist running through his head, he gave a sign of relief that his prep was done the day before.

Pulling himself up, he located a clean pair of jeans and a t shirt before heading out to join his sister. He found her at the stove, stirring a pot of oatmeal. And, from the smell, she had added cinnamon and honey. His favorite!

"Well, well, look at you, junior chef," he navigated the living room towards where she stood, "What's the occasion?"

Judy ducked her head a bit and gave a small smile. The pot was pulled from the stove and divided into two mugs. Topped with almond slivers and dried apples, she presented one to her brother, along with a spoon, before heading to the door with hers.

"It's a 'thank you for not telling Mom and Dad' treat," the doe opened the door to allow him through. Jack smiled as the two strolled down the stairs to the cafe below.

They both made their way into the still darkened cafe, great big spoonfuls of oatmeal disappearing rapidly. Skye was setting up the espresso machine, making sure everything had been cleaned and cared for from the night before. The vixen smiled as they walked around the counter towards her.

"Well, Judy," she gave the doe a half lidded smirk as she finished up at the machine, "you're certainly in better shape than Mr. Sunshine over there."

She jerked her muzzle to the seating area of the cafe. Nick was collapsed onto the couch, wrapped up in a hoody and face down with his tail draped over the side.

"Everything hurts!" His voice was muffled and Judy was actually shocked that he was even awake. "Why did I think that stupid camp was a good idea?"

"Serves you right for calling me cute!" The bunny doe put her paws on her hips and grinned at the todd's discomfort.

Nick's head popped up over the arm of the couch, eyes tired but with a smirk on his muzzle.

"I regret nothing," he allowed his head to flop back down on to the couch. "Why would anyone even encourage this type of behavior?"

Judy quirked an ear at him as Jack handed her his now empty mug. Skye merely laughed as she went to get sanitizer buckets to distribute among the coffee bar.

"What behavior?" Jack asked.

"Waking up before noon," he muttered. "Sundays are days of rest. Not torturing minors and enslaving them."

The jangle of keys on the other side of the cafe door caught everyone's attention. Jon struggled with it for bit before throwing himself into the lobby, arms akimbo with a big grin.

"Yes! It is me! The most handsome of bakers ready to sweeten the world, one cookie at a time," the raccoon gave cheerful wave before skipping towards the kitchen. A quick glance at the couch had him miss-skip in confusion, nearly tumbling head over tail. Eyes were wary as he straightened up and addressed Jack. "Hey, Boss, you know there's a weird fox on the couch, right?"

"That would be my brother, Nicholas!" Skye walked around the counter to the still dozing todd and pushed the hood off his head. She gently scratched the back of his ears and neck. Nick let out a content purr. Which turned into a yelp when Skye pinched his skin with her claws.

"Time to work, Lazybones!" She dragged him off the couch and hauled him straight. "Get to the kitchen and ask Jon where to start."

…

Nick and Judy found themselves standing in front of the pacing raccoon. He held whisk in his paw, thumping it into his other, as he held his nose in the air. The teens watched his movements, Judy with wide curious eyes and Nick with a hint of annoyance. Jon suddenly stopped and swiveled to face them, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a hard line.

"You may think I am just a simple, sweet, cuddly, adorable, charming, loveab-"

"Jon.." came Jack's warning voice from the mixers. The raccoon glared at the interruption before clearing his throat. Nick and Judy grinned at each other before turning back to the baker.

"Ahh-uk, as I was saying, I may look the cuddly, raccoon baker, but I am no one to be trifled with! Hopps!" Judy fought a laugh as she stood to attention. "Are you prepared to brave the foul depths detailing this kitchen contains?!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Judy put on a brave face and gave a salute.

"And…" Jon squinted at the fox, who raised his eyebrows at him, "what's your last again?"

"Savage." The raccoon's ears and tail perked up with delight.

"Really?"

"No, it's Wilde, but close," he grinned and drew himself to attention as Jon huffed in disappointment.

"Alright, Wilde! Are you prepare to tackle the scum and grim and grease and decay that lurks, hidden from the prying eyes of mammal kind?"

Nick tilted his head and quirked his ears as he thought of his answer. Jon had a scowl on his face that he had obviously hoped would strike fear into the younger male. The fox just blinked again.

"Is this place really that gross?" That earned him a punch in the arm from Judy. "Ow!"

Jon dropped the act and put his paws on his hips.

"Look, kit, we can either make this fun or I can start you on the grease trap. And trust me, with a nose like yours, that'll ruin your day."

Sighing, the todd went back to attention and saluted.

"Sir, yes sir. I am ready to get hepatitis trying to get this place clean." Judy punched him again, the arm in question now slightly numb. "Ok, you have got to stop doing that."

"Give him one more from me, Judy!" Skye called from the front, where another bunny was guiding her through the drink recipes. Judy grinned and reeled back her paw.

"Don't encourage her, Skye!" Jack interrupted. "Kits, start organizing the shelving. Nick start on the top shelves, Judy start on the bottom. I want them wiped down and re-organized, and after that, start on the sink. Chop, chop!"

Jack clapped his paws before turning back to his task. Nick and Judy were both still saluting and staring wide eyed at the back of the buck's head. Jon's face fell into an almost comical look of disappointment.

"Awww, Jack! I had this whole hard ass, drill sergeant thing going on!"

"You were taking to long, Jonny. Get to work, kits! Jon, check orders and start baking."

Nick gave a dramatic sigh, only to flinch when Judy's fist was raised again. Jack's head whipped up from the now rotating mixers, meeting his sister's eyes in a hard glare. He slowly shook his head.

Judy's ears and fist both dropped as she turned to start her task. Jack smiled and checked the progress of the separate batches of cookies mixing.

Kits, he thought.

…

Skye smiled as her ears picked up distinct muttering coming from the rabbit buck. He had handed off a selection of desserts to put on display and now seemed to be going through some mental checklist he made.

"We have a raspberry macadamia, dipped in white chocolate. Chocolate chip, with and without walnuts. Snickerdoodle, sugar, coconut macaroons, shortbread- OH! We should try to make an oatmeal and apple cookie! With caramel drizzled on them! YES!"

Skye giggled at that, finishing the display, as she turned to cast a glance at her new boss.

"As tasty as that sounds, what are you listing?"

Jack had been gazing into space while waiting for her to return the tray to him. Not realizing he was speaking out loud- something he had never been aware of or called out on- his ears shot up. The blush that quickly spread from his cheeks to his ears tips was positively adorable. Especially combined with how wide those blue eyes of his got.

The vixen smiled sweetly at him as he stumbled over his answer.

"Oh-uh, ah-hem. I had, uh, an idea for a cookie and lemonade special for Sundays," he let his ears fall back as he accepted the tray back, "just for the summer. Hoping that would trigger childhood nostalgia."

Jack gave the vixen a grin, still obviously flustered and embarrassed. Skye stepped closer and put a paw on his shoulder. She felt her heart skip a beat as her nose pulled in a lungful of his scent. Fresh rain and fields.

I could get use to that, she thought wistfully.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Skye beamed , then winced at the loud crash coming from the kitchen.

A quick glance at each other, then both made a dash for the kitchen entrance. The cream colored bunny who had helped her with the drinks came rushing out. Paws held out to stop them from entering, she gave a nervous smile, her grey eyes a bit wild.

"It's good! We cool, we good, and there is absolutely NO reason for anyone to be worried," she moved her paws in a soothing motion, meant to calm them down, and kept her voice light and breezy, "and there is absolutely NO reason for you two to go into the kitchen for the next fifteen-"

"Thirty!" Came Jon's frantic voice.

"THIRTY," the bunny glared over her shoulder, before turning her smile back to her bosses, "minutes."

Jack crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Sandra, I have very busy day ahead of me. I don't have time to wait thirty minutes for whatever mess was made in the kitchen to get cleaned up."

The grey eyes looked slightly troubled as he made to push past her, though they brightened when she looked over at Skye.

"Boss, boss, boss!" Sandra put a paw on his shoulder and turned him around. Her other paw went to the vixen, giving her the same treatment. "Reeee-lax, jefe! The situation is under control. Knowing you, you talked Jon's ears off yesterday about your bake list for today. I heard about this lemonade thing you want to do, so I'll get on that! It's dead right now, absolutely nothing we can't handle."

The bunny guided the two around the counter, talking as they winced at another loud crash from the kitchen.

"Now, we have a new GM, who, correct me if I'm wrong, should know the cost of ingredients or whatever you savvy, sophisticated, totes intelligent business mammals like to talk about." She lead them a table as far from the counter as they could go and pulled out a chair. "I'll grab your paperwork, and some coffee for you two, and you guys start bonding! I'll grab you when the rush hits!"

Skye and Jack stood by the table as Sandra left to grab what she thought they would need, gesturing them to sit as she put everything on the table.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the damage to my kitchen?" Asked Jack warily.

Sandra's mouth dropped open, stuttering a moment before a long cream and white ear perked up.

"Be right there, Jon!" She gave a short wave before darting back to the counter.

Skye laughed when she looked over at her boss. He shook his head and sighed.

"Twenty bucks says I have only a handful of plates that are unbroken and one of my mixers needs to be repaired," he looked at her, exasperation on his face.

"Too easy a bet, Mr. Hopps," she chided, "But, now we know to add dishes to the list of monthly expenses. And, ah!" A business card was pulled from a paperclipped stack of documents. "Appliance repair shop!"

Shifting through what was in her paw, most of what she held were invoices. Her eyes flicked through the paperwork, very aware that his never really left her face. There was really nothing in the pile they hadn't gone over already. But neither seemed to mind the excuse to sit with each other.

"Ok," she sighed, looking up at the line starting to form, "think that half hour is up?"

"I hope not," came a slightly dreamy response. Skye met his eyes and laughed. He blushed slightly before clearing his throat. "I mean, um, I, just, er…..What's that Jon? Be right there!"

Blushing, Jack nearly broke his neck racing back to the kitchen. Skye stared wide eyed after him before gathering her things and jumping behind the counter. Diving into the action, the vixen found herself at ease with the familiar work. Bobby and Kari had came in for their shifts together and took direction easily enough from her, while Sandra played the part of Skye's strong right paw.

Jack and Jon pushed out a vast array of cookies, though Nick had to be reassigned to dish washer as the majority of the plates seemed to have gone missing. Judy acted as busser, darting around the small cafe to clear the tables and restock when needed. Aside from one incident between the two teens which left the doe's ears drenched from the sink's detachable nozzle, they worked as fairly efficient team.

Skye relished the work, smiling at the full cafe when the line died down. It was odd the amount of pride she felt for Jack. Most businesses were ok excluding clientele if it meant not dealing with certain species. Such as foxes. She herself had been asked to leave many places.

Anyone can be anything in Zootopia, she thought, so I guess a rabbit can be progressive. She glanced at the counter as the buck walked out of the kitchen, paws in his apron pockets. He smiled at her before casting a quick glance at the sweets display.

And really hot, her thoughts added.

A quick walk around the small space, she checked up on the patrons and ensured the lobby was still fairly clean, the vixen glanced back to the coffee counter. Jack leaned against it watching as she moved across the room. Or specifically her tail. She giggled and let her tail smoothly sweep around her.

Blue met blue and pale fur became pleasantly tinged with pink. Jack returned her smile, letting it drop as she continued the walk the floor. He sighed quietly, gaining the attention of Sandra.

"Penny for your thoughts, jefe?" She asked. He lowered his gazed briefly before looking back towards the cafe.

"Is it weird to-"

"Wanna bang it out with a predator?" She finished, leaning on the counter and grinning up him. He frowned at her word choice and rolled his eyes before nodding. Sandra giggled. "Jack, when they look like that, it's weird to not want to see them naked. Seriously, jefe, you don't tap it, I'm going to try."

Kari laughed and put her arm around the cream colored bunny.

"Hate to break it to you, Sandy, but that vixen is panting after ol' Stripes here." She tapped her nose as Bobby laughed and flicked his tail at her. "The nose knows!"

The corsac winked at her boss, before casting a sly look over at Skye as she walked back towards the counter.

"Sandra, could you restock the tea boxes up here, please? And Kari, there's an otter over there who would like a dozen chocolate chip cookies if we have them. Mind boxing them up?" The vixen smiled at Jack as they set to their tasks. "Anything you need, boss bunny?"

Jack smiled absently at her, feeling a warmth spread through out his gut. He shook his head and held her gaze for a heart beat longer than he should have. Sandra cleared her throat, startling the two out of their reverie.

"It's going on noon, jefe."

Jack jumped up from his relaxed position at the counter and ducked his head into the kitchen. Nick and Judy were being shown a funny little dance Jon had thought up, the two kits giggling as they tried to follow the friendly raccoon's steps.

"It's time, Jude!" The young doe paused and let her ears drop as she met her brother's gaze. Nick was still smiling from their game, which slowly dropped as the mood in the room shifted from fun and carefree to sad and resigned.

"Go make sure you're all packed. Is Brook meeting you here?" Judy nodded as she ducked her head and left the kitchen, heading towards the stairs. "Ok. Go get you things all set."

Giving her a gentle pat on the head as she passed, Jack sighed unhappily as he watched her vanish towards the apartment.

"Where's she going?" Asked Nick who was watching in confusion.

"Back to Bunnyburrow," Jack said sadly. "She'll be back for the summer but-"

"It's always sad to see her go," finished Jon. The Perks crew nodded with him.

Skye watched as the young bunny slowly climb the stairs to the apartment. She barely had think it over before the young doe was back, a small backpack on her shoulders and her bright eyes cast down. Jack met her at the bottom as Brook came through the cafe door, smiling at the brother and sister. Though it dropped as her amber eyes flicked over to Nick.

The todd smirked at her sudden scowl.

Laugh it up, Wilde, she thought, payback it going to be sweet!

"This is all you need?" Judy nodded. "Ok, when you get to the station, Snapcat me so I can let Mom and Dad know. I want another Snapcat when the train leaves, with you on it. If I don't get one, I send Adrian after you. Got it?"

Judy rolled her eyes as her brother lead the two females to the door.

"Jack, don't bother Adrian. He has enough to do without being an errand bull for you."

"Then I would remember to Snapcat me," he said with a sweet smile at her. The buck lead her out onto the sidewalk, and turned to wrap her in his arms. "Please be safe. No talking to strangers, no starting fights or fires, and no riots!" He pulled back and narrowed his gaze at her indignant expression.

"Hey! That was one time and it was totally not my fault," she exclaimed. Jack shook his head and grinned at her. Judy's frown slowly dropped. "You're meeting me at the station on Thursday?"

She watched her big brother drop his gaze in guilt and shake his head.

"Jack!" Amethyst eyes filled with tears. "You always do! It's a tradition!"

"I'm sorry, Bun-Bun," he responded putting his paw on her cheek, "I'm going to be too busy-" Judy scoffed, "- driving down to Bunnyburrow to pick you up myself."

Skye had followed her boss to the door and felt her heart fill at the interaction. Especially when the young doe's face lit up with happiness.

"Now, get out of here," he said with a smile. Judy planted a kiss on his cheek before bouncing over to Brook, who stood waiting. "And tell Gid I talked to his parents. He's all set!"

Skye smiled as the two females walked away. Jack pulled his phone out and began flicking through it.

"DON'T BOTHER HIM, JACK!" The buck jumped and almost dropped his phone before scowling after his sister's parting words. He pressed the call button as she turned back around. Though his phone was nearly dropped again as a red blur darted past Skye at the door, bumping into his elbow as it passed.

"Carrots, wait!"

Phone back to his ear, Jack and Skye glanced at each other as their younger siblings spoke briefly. From the look on Brook's face, incredulity and resignation, he was reminding them of the ice cream bet. A slip of paper was passed to Judy before the two females left the young fox, who heaved a very visible sigh.

Skye smiled at her little brother, who was just starting to turn back. Her eyebrows quirked as something seemed to catch his eye in the alleyway he stood next to. She left her position by the door to find out what was keeping him and who he appeared to be whispering to. But the fox suddenly turned back around and marched straight to her and the waiting buck.

"Just some drunk hanging out in the ally," he said, a pleased smirk still on his muzzle. He tipped his head in Jack's direction, before turning to his sister and winking. Though the doors he disappeared, leaving two mildly surprised adults behind him.

"You know he has the hots for your little sister, right?" Asked the vixen as she held the door open for Jack. He sighed and shook his head.

"Kinda figured," he smiled at her as he passed, "must run in the family." The call just connected as he passed through the door. "Are you patrolling around there, Bogo? Awesome, please keep and eye out for her…. Thank you!"

Skye cleared her throat. Turning with a his brows quirked, the vixen raised her own.

"Riot?" Jack laughed.

"Movie night in Bunnyburrow. It was a horror film from the fifties and Judy thought it would be funny to release a swarm of crickets into the audience," he sighed at the recollection. "Everyone panicked. I was strangely proud."

He smiled as he made his way back to the kitchen. Nick seemed content to hang out and help, even though his time was served. One final glance at Skye before Jack went back to work seemed to buoy his spirits. His phone pinged out a message before he was able to find his starting point again.

-Don't say I never did n e thing 4 u jefe- Sandy

Attached were two tickets to a small business convention the following weekend.

Huh, thought Jack, looks like Skye and I get to see Marcus Lemousis. He glanced up and smiled at the back of Skye's head.

Here's hoping she says yes.


	7. The Curious Character, Mr Wilde

Greg had been working Bugga Burger for six months. As his first, actual job, it could have been worse. It payed for the odds and ends he felt uncomfortable asking his mother to cover, such as nights out with friends, junk food, and, more recently, condoms.

It made the young todd feel more independent whenever he was given his weekly paycheck. Though the work itself was nothing fun or glamorous, it kept his mind and body busy from dwelling too much. The emptiness that seemed to envelope him since his father died was kept at bay.

And the charming smirk both he and Nick had inherited from Matthew earned him more than a few numbers from the vixens who ordered from him. Adding that a lot of his coworkers were happy to sneak the underaged fox a six pack of something or share whatever herbal remedies they had on hand, Greg felt his life could be worse.

Now, as he broke down the prep lines and removed cutting boards, he debated silently on how he wanted his night to end. His mother would no doubt have her paws full with his little brother and Skye was distracted by her new job. One quick text and there was really no need to rush home just yet.

Especially since the champagne colored vixen in the furthest booth let her honey brown eyes roam freely over him. Young, maybe college age, with a figure to kill and a scent to match, she had stuck with a strawberry milkshake and an order of fries. And if the tongue that teased the straw of her shake was any indication, she was up for anything he might suggest.

The restaurant was closed, officially, but she made no attempt to leave. In fact, her eyebrows simply rose as a sultry smile crossed her muzzle when Greg looked her way. He didn't look away as his manager nudged him with his elbow and chuckled.

"Looks like your night is going to get very interesting," the greasy ferret sauntered over to the registers and jabbed in Greg's employee number. "Been married ten years, kit! Get it while you can."

Eyes still locked with hers, the todd accepted his clock out slip before striding over to the exit. He pushed it open with his back and smiled at the vixen as she left her seat. She paused in front of him before walking through the door, one paw reaching up to his chest in sensuous slide to tempt him into following her. As though the scent of cinnamon and oranges wasn't enough.

He grinned as she walked towards her car, her tail and hips moving in a mesmerizing sway. Looking back towards the counter, the ferret and remaining coworkers shook their heads and laughed ruefully as Greg wagged his eyebrows at them.

"Here's hoping it stays interesting," he said as left the door to follow her.

…..

It was passionate. The pleasure was intense and turned his blood into lava in his veins. With the way her hips had moved, how her back had arched, the sweet groans and moans she let loose, Greg found himself struggling to last.

In her bed, with the slick heat of her gripping him tightly, made the entirety of his grief vanish. Foxes were suppose to mate for life, but for Greg Wilde, life felt more assured with each new partner. And this one was a prime example of life affirming.

Her body bucked under him as her legs wrapped around his waist. She pulled his muzzle into a lusty kiss as her pleasure peaked, one paw gripping his head while the other raked down his back. And that ended all of his rational thought. One final thrust and a quick withdrawal to keep from knotting, and Greg was reduced to a groaning, incoherent puddle of fox.

Definitely, definitely interesting, he thought, as his euphoria was milked into the condom.

Their lips were still locked together, as though making up for the lack of knotting, tongues mingling as they each seemed to savor the afterglow setting in. She pulled back and reclined under him as he trailed kisses onto her neck and collarbone. Sighing, the vixen, whose name he didn't bother to get, closed her eyes and reached her paws up to rest behind her head.

"Hmmmm….. That was worth the mediocre fast food," she sighed. Greg pushed off to rest on his side, one paw propping his head up to smirk at her. The other carefully removed the condom and tossed it into the bin by the bed.

"Gotta work off those empty calories somehow," he replied, the vixen grinning as she looked over at him. "Bugga Burger policy demands worlds class customer service, after all."

Her paw shot out to lightly smack his shoulder as she laughed and rolled on top of him.

"So, I guessing you're working your way up to employee of the month?"

"Madam! Are you insinuating that I'm not already?" He placed his paw against his chest and furrowed his eyebrows in mock offense. She smiled alluring down at him before leaning over to kiss his lips again.

Greg put his youthful stamina to good use that night. He felt a deep sense of pride as he observed the sated vixen next to him in bed. Her eyes closed and breathing even, she slept heavily and undisturbed. Slipping out of her bed, his paws penned a quick note to her, thanking her for the evening and apologizing for his absence.

Now dressed, paws in his pockets, he found himself walking the empty streets of Zootopia. A quick phone check saw it was just past midnight. Knowing his mother thought he was with friends, the todd walked further away from his apartment, trying to find his next distraction.

Perhaps that's why he found himself in front of the bar. A bar he knew a bit too well, so well in fact that bouncer didn't need to see his fake again. Waved through, the fox headed for his usual stool, climbing up as the barkeep set a bottle in front of him. He gave a nod of thanks and drank deeply, hoping to settle his restlessness. But the mammal next to him squashed that chance for him.

"Aren't you a little young to be here?"

Greg sighed and closed his eyes. "Aren't you a little too drunk to be so judgmental?"

The bitter laugh that followed his statement made the fox's fur stand on end.

"You and your brother. You both have a singular talent for being pricks," the mammal's voice paused as a noisy shot was taken, "but then, if anyone deserves that from you two, it would be me."

"Don't pull that self pitying shit on me, Weaselton," Greg snapped, his eyes opening to narrow at his unwelcome drinking partner. "I'm not in the mood for it."

The weasel sighed and tapped his shot glass lightly onto the bar top. The cheetah had been waiting patiently, obviously use to this routine. Duke grunted his thanks and waved her away.

"So, where does Vivian think you are tonight?" He asked, staring down into the shot. Greg shifted a bit on his stool.

"Finals are this week. She thinks I'm studying with friends," he kept his voice low. No sense in them finding out he was underage.

"You graduate this year?"

"Next week." Another drag from the bottle in front of him. The weasel pulled a slight face as he set his now empty shot glass down.

"Time sure did fly," he muttered, unaware he had already lost Greg's attention.

His eyes had landed on the pretty vixen playing pool on the other side of the bar. Her fur a rich black and eyes an alluring green, Greg felt his lust rise up again. Keeping his eyes on her, he leaned over to the weasel.

"How do I smell?" He asked absently. With the looks he was getting, as long as he didn't smell like another, this was in the bag. Duke choked on his new drink and pushed him away.

"I'm not smelling you!" The todd groaned and tried to push back at him.

"Seriously? Just a quick one, tell me if I smell like, I don't know, sex or something!"

"My late best friend's UNDERAGED," Greg gave him a hard punch in the arm, which the weasel returned before dropping his voice again, "son wants me to tell him if he smells like sex. Are you serious?" Reddish brown eyes rolled and another shot was downed. "Hey, barkeep? One more, please." He accepted another before turning to the younger male. "You know any female here you sleep with could go to jail for statutory, right?"

"Only if they're reported," Greg smirked down at him, "and do you really think anyone at the station would believe you?"

Duke growled and pulled out his wallet. A few bills were thrown down before he took the final shot. Leaning over, he gave a deep sniff before shrugging and nodding.

"Meh, you smell fine. Well, like a fox, but you know, nothing too crazy."

Greg fist pumped and hopped down from his seat, smile in place as he made his way to the vixen. Duke crossed his arms and watched the approach, watched her smile at him and laugh at whatever little quip he made. Greg stepped closer, smile still firm.

And there it is, thought the weasel.

One full breath pulled in from the vixen and her eyes grew dark and insulted. Duke's laugh rang out as her paw connected with Greg's muzzle, sending the youth back a few steps. The todd wandered back to his seat, dazed and rubbing his cheek, before he turned angry eyes to the weasel.

"Thanks for that!" He growled. " 'Oh, you smell fine! Nothing too crazy at all!' Yeah, right!"

"Hey," the weasel laughed and shook his head, "I didn't lie! I said you smelled like fox, didn't I?"

Duke laughed again at his indignant expression as he turned to leave. Getting through the door posed a slight problem for him, remedied by a pair of rams coming in. He gave them a sloppy salute before walking out into the night.

"Dickhead," the todd muttered before finishing his drink.

Greg pulled his money out and tossed it onto the bar. With a sigh, he followed after the weasel, who was stumbling away from the entrance. The fox shook his head before walking over, taking him by the shoulders as he tripped over the curb. Duke was blinking up at Greg, eyes trying to focus on the todd.

"What are you doing?" He asked, voice slightly slurred.

"Making sure you don't wander out into the middle of the road and get yourself killed," Greg raised a paw at a passing cab, sighing with relief as it pulled over. "And, because you're a dick and masochist, you're going to keep me company."

Duke was shoved into the cab, Greg climbing in right behind him. The wolf in the driver's seat looked unfazed as he glanced in the rearview mirror at them.

"Where to, gents?"

The fox looked at the the brown eyes of the driver before turning to Duke.

"Vine and Tujunga," he said, turning his gaze away from the drunken weasel to the window.

….

The cab never made it to the intersection. A few blocks from their destination, Duke spotted a twenty four hour market on Tujunga and demanded they be dropped off there. Greg was exasperated as he handed over the money to the driver while the weasel high tailed it into the store. He sauntered towards the entrance as Duke returned, a twelve pack in paw.

"If you're going to torture me," he said as they set off towards Vine, "I need a lot more to drink."

Both predators walked side by side through the quiet streets of the Rainforest District, Duke's gaze on the ground. Greg focused his on the still downed street sign just before the rope bridge. The city hadn't felt the need to fix it, a fact that both hurt and comforted the mammals staring down at the scarred pole.

Duke sighed and sat at the base of a tree, claws tearing open the cardboard beer case. One was tossed to the todd before opening another for himself. Both took a deep drink, silent with their own thoughts.

"What happened?" Whispered Greg, still staring at the fallen sign. The older male sighed and took another deep drink.

"I looked back….." Duke chanced a glance to his companion before looking across the bridge. "It was just supposed to be simple interview. The cat we were talking to was the last to see the otter we were looking for, so we wanted to ask some questions."

The weasel downed his beer before grabbing another. The fresh one was quickly gulped before he found the strength to continue.

"One moment, the jaguar was fine, just a bit nervous and jittery, the next, your dad and I are running for our lives." The can in his paws was considered before another mouthful was taken from it. "I was trying to radio dispatch, but I tripped and dropped it. Looked over my shoulder and this…HUGE, angry, snarling….CREATURE…..was lunging at me.

"I don't think your dad even hesitated," bloodshot eyes met tired blues. "I wasn't even sure what had happened until Matty grabbed me by my uniform. I didn't even know he was injured until back up arrived…"

A third beer was opened and drained as Greg finished his first. Duke was still lost in the memories as the todd sat next to him and relieved the pack of another can.

"Turns out he managed to hit the cat just right," the weasel smiled at the thought of his friend's aim, "he ran and leaped at him. Clocked him right upside the head, knocked the jaguar off balance, right off of the ledge. But I guess he used his claws to try to prevent himself from falling and Matty was just a little too close….." Greg gulped back his drink and cringed at the after taste. "I thought we were fine. A bit bruised and shaken, but alive. Matt was alive….then I blinked and he was collapsing. He had a big, gapping tear in his side, cascading blood. I blinked again and I was holding his paw in the ambulance, feeling it go slack. One more blink…and…."

Greg blindly pulled another can, feeling Duke's eyes on him. The weasel stood and tossed the empty onto the dirt. He turned back to the rope bridge, losing himself in his final memories of Matthew.

"I'll never forgive myself, Greg." The fox looked up at the weasel in confusion. "I should have been faster, smarter, more cautious. I know it doesn't bring him back, but just know that. I am SO sorry." The weasel put his head down and turned, walking away from his worst nightmare. "For everything…"

Part of Greg wanted to stop him, or follow after him. To demand Duke tell him every word his father had said that night. Another part of him wanted to go home and curl up in bed. But it was the quickly disappearing twelve pack that won his time. As if he could fine some comfort in the bitter taste of it.

Greg wasn't aware he had finished off the rest of the beer until he reached for another. The case now empty, and he surrounded by cans, the fox glanced up at the brightening sky. Weary and more drunk then he expected to get, his trash was collected before he pushed himself to his feet. He swayed slightly as he spotted a recycle bin, everything being shoved into it before he staggered away.

His bleary eyes blinked in confusion at the phone that refused to turn on, before he sighed and pulled out his wallet. Not enough for a cab. There was enough for a cheap breakfast and some coffee while he tried to sober up. Heavy limbs moved as though he were under water, with his inebriated brain wondering if Vivian was working today. He had no intention on letting her find out about his weekend excursions.

The cheap beer and no sleep making his feet drag, the walk back to Savanna Central was torture. Most of the morning was gone as the todd set foot into the border area of the Rainforest and Downtown. A food truck with a small crowd waiting around it wafted the smell of eggs and chilies to the hungry vulpine's nose. Food was what he needed right now, and sleep as soon as he possibly could.

…

A heavy burrito and several cups of coffee later, Greg was more than ready for bed. Fiddling with his dead phone, he desperately tried to remember his mother's work schedule.

"She should be at work right now," he debated to himself, "or does she have Sundays off? No, she has Mondays off. Or was it Saturdays? Mother fucker…"

He looked blurry eyed up at the street he found himself on, the row of brownstones and trees a welcomed shade from the late spring sun. Squinting up at a the closest sign, the fox gave a low disbelieving sigh: The Savanna Central Perk and Bakery. What in the name of Karma could have possessed him to go there?

Greg rolled his eyes and shook his head, a paw going to his muzzle. His eyes felt heavy and bloodshot, he knew his clothes were filthy from work and sitting in the dirt, not to mention he probably reeked of alcohol. Which is why the door to the cafe had to open at that moment. The two bunnies and tigress who exited didn't concern him, but the sight of his sister made him panic and duck into the alley.

"Fuck!" He muttered to himself. "She sees me like this, I'm dead!"

He strained his ears and listened for the sound of the door closing again. But what he heard instead was the sounds of pawsteps getting closer. Back pressed against the wall, he slid behind a full trashcan, the rancid stench sobering him.

"DON'T BOTHER HIM, JACK!"

The sudden shout almost stopped Greg's heart, the fox pressing himself as far against the wall as he could get. The tigress and doe walked past the ally giggling and talking about their summer plans. They were thankfully unaware of his presence.

"Carrots, wait!"

Wrinkling his brow, he froze as he heard his little brother come running up. Nick stood at the alley entrance, a paw reaching out to lightly grip the wrist of the pretty grey bunny. A folded piece of paper was pressed into her paw, her big purple eyes looking down at it in surprise. Her friend did not seem very amused.

"Here," said the younger todd, cool grin on his muzzle, "just in case you get bored on the carrot farm."

"Your phone number?" She asked with a bit of a smile.

Someone's been uping their game, thought Greg peaking out from his hiding spot.

"Yeah, you know," Nick released her wrist and shoved his paws in his pockets, "figured you would need some proof when you tell all your friends you meet Zootopia's most handsome fox this weekend."

The tigress rolled her eyes and scoffed at him.

"Plus," he continued, "we still need to get ice cream together, remember?"

"Wilde, I don't think you would give me a chance to forget," she replied with a smirk.

"Because where's the fun in that?"Greg looked up at his little brother's face, his green eyes focused on the small female in front of him and a smile softer than he had ever seen. "And it's like you said. Sparring is going to come up at camp and I might as well make it worth your Wilde."

"It's while, Nick," corrected the bunny.

"Not in this case."

I will not be taking notes from my thirteen year old brother, thought Greg. His resolve crumbled as both females blushed, the tigress more subtly than the doe.

With a slightly nervous giggle, she smiled and backed away, Nick's number clutched to her chest. "See you later, Slick." Both females turned abruptly and hurried away, still giggling and whispering to each other. Greg slowly stood up and crept to the entrance of the alley.

Nick heaved a dreamy sigh and turned to head back to the cafe.

"Nick!" His little brother did a double take at the sight of him.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, eyes wandering over his unkempt appearance. A quick sniff had the younger todd shaking his head in disgust. "You smell like a dumpster fire."

"A) Fuck you and b) is Mom at work?"

"I think so," Nick nodded as he thought about it some, "I think she gets off at six."

Greg gave a sigh of relief. "Thank Karma. What time is it."

"Like, twelve something," his eyes went wide as he surveyed the alley behind him. "Have you been here this whole time?"

With a sly smirk, he nodded and winked at him. "Yes, I have, and golly! It warms my heart that you inherited my charisma with the ladies." A paw was put to his chest as he shot Nick an exaggerated look of pride.

"Actually, I learned it from Skye," the todd winked back at his big brother. "Good day."

Greg rolled his eyes as he marched away.

"Just some drunk in the alley!" Nick's voice rang out, triggering a headache in the still hiding todd.

Ears picked up the sound of voices and the jingling of bells as the door opened again. Peeking around the corner, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw the coast was clear. In record time, Greg ran from the alley way, through the bustle of downtown, before unlocking the door leading into the quiet coolness of home.

He cautiously tiptoed through the apartment, just in case Vivian was home, before he was satisfied he was alone. Closing the door to his bedroom, he stripped the soiled uniform off before grabbing his robe and darting to the bathroom. His feet ached with relief as he turned the faucet to the tub on and adjusted the water temperature. The water first ran cold over his sore hind paws, bits of dirt and grime being washed away before it went warm and he turned on the shower head.

Half an hour later, dressed in a pair of pajama pants with a plate of leftovers next to him, Greg was reviewing his notes for finals. What he really wanted to do was sleep, but he also wanted to graduate on time. As long as he got 'C's or better, he should be fine.

But the weight of the day finally caught up with him. Blue eyes grew heavier and heavier and, before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

…..

"Alright, troublemaker," came a laughing voice from behind him. Nick's ears perked as his sister's paw landed on his shoulder. "I am officially releasing you for the day."

The young todd grinned and rinsed the last of the dishes he was working on. With a sigh and a stretch he turned to look at the clock hanging over the mixers.

"It's already after three?" He asked incredulously. Skye chuckled and nodded, walking him to the front of the cafe. "Today just sort of got away from me."

"And you were a big help," she responded.

"Agreed," came the perky voice of Sandra. A small stack of bills were folded and handed to the todd, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Here are your tips for the day. Made off like a bandit, my young, red friend!"

"Wow," came Nick's disbelieving response. The money was shoved into his pocket as he smiled his thanks at the doe. Skye pulled out her phone and began tapping away at it.

"Ok, so the Frosts and Mrs. Oak know you're headed home. I also sent a message to Mom," she handed her brother his hoodie as he said goodbye to everyone. "You are to go straight home and Snapcat her when you get there. Be good and have a great day at school tomorrow."

"It's the final stretch and then I'm done for the year." He muttered. Skye nodded in agreement. She walked him to the door and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I love you," she said kissing the top of his head. He laughed and pulled away with a smile.

"I know," he let his face go serious for moment, "it's really gross." A smile came back as he looked up at her. "But I love you, too."

With a final wave to the cafe, Nick left. The sun was still high and the shady street crowded with mammals going about their Sunday. Finnick had been sending him messages complaining about his boredom in church, David was sending him videos of a new singer who had just released her single (he wanted to know if Nick thought she was hot), and messages from his neighbors and mother.

But nothing from the bunny who had left a few hours ago.

He heaved a sigh and responded to everyone as he walked, his body on auto pilot as he headed back home. The apartment was unusually quiet when he managed to unlock the door. It was a bit surprising that Greg wasn't camped out on the couch. When he wasn't out and about, the older todd practically lived on that sofa, his body making an almost permanent indent into it.

Instead, Nick peeked into his room to find his brother passed out in bed. An empty plate resting on his stomach with his school notes crumbled into his paws, the sleeping todd caused him to laugh quietly into his paws. Tiptoeing into the room, he removed the used plate and paper, pulling the covers up to his sleeping brother's chin.

Nick took a final glance at him before flicking the light off and closing the bedroom door. The plate had just been set into the sink when Nick's phone went off. The unknown number confused him a bit until the message was selected.

-So, I'm texting you with good faith that you will not abuse my number, Judy-

Yup, he thought, it's been a great day.


	8. Feelings be Known

A huge thank you to kt_valmiri for editing. The format is a bit screwy because I refused to remove the cute little bunnies from the story! I do apologize from my stubbornness. Other than that, I hope you enjoy :)

...

-Judy- So, I'm texting you with good faith that you will not abuse my number

-Dumb Fox- :) u shall be known from here on out as CARROTS }=

\- Carrots - …you're going to make me regret this, aren't you.

-Dumb Fox- (\\_/)

(o.o)

(_), …thats u….. cuz ure a bunny…..

-Carrots -….so much regret…

...

"Ok, tell me about it one more time!"

Judy pulled the last of her things from her locker, hiding her smile behind the door of it. Zipping up her back pack, she exaggerated a sigh as she slammed it closed. A chubby, red fox was beaming excitedly at her from the other side. His blue eyes sparkled as his paws clutched a cupcake container, ears perked to hear about her latest visit to Zootopia.

"Gid," Judy giggled. "I've already told you about it, like, six times!" Her eyes went to the container in his paws. "I'd think you'd be tired of me talking by now."

The pair started walking towards their next class, the fox's eyes cast upwards as he sighed longingly.

"Your brother is livin' my dream," he groaned. "And he's lettin' me spend a weekend followin' him! I practically drove my ma and granddaddy crazy this week, I was bakin' so much."

"Hence the cupcakes?" Judy gave the container a pointed glance and small smile. Jack always passed on some tips to Gideon when he was in town and the young fox hero worshipped him.

At her comment, he grinned and popped the lid open. The treats weren't the prettiest looking -Gid was still a work in progress- but the smell alone made Judy drool.

 _Jack has some serious competition_ , she thought as her friend's paw selected one for her.

"This one I made specifically for you, Judes." He proudly present her treat with a wide grin. "Carrot cupcake with salted caramel frosting. See this little thing?" A claw pointed to a small orange disk tuck into the frosting. "I made candied carrots!"

With a bright smile, Judy accepted her treat and took a huge bite as they walked. She groaned with delight at the flavor, her friend straightening himself up with pride.

"You are going to love working with my brother, Gid." Another large bite was taken as she glanced down at the container again. "Not to be greedy, but is that all you made?"

"Naw, I've been handin' 'em out." The fox stopped in front of Mr. Oats, the janitor, offering a treat to him. The old goat beamed and thanked him before the two continued. "I gave a batch to the teachers for their lounge, gave a few to some other friends-"

"Wait!" Gid stopped walking to look over at the doe in surprise. Her purple eyes were on one of the cupcakes left in the container. "Is that coconut?"

A knowing smile crossed her face as she looked up at Gideon. The fox dropped his gaze and stammered, his ears and tail falling.

"…Y-yes…"

"You're allergic to coconut," she hinted with a grin. "And you always said you wouldn't work with it."

"Wouldn't work with what?" Both turned to the new voice that came up beside Judy.

A black sheep, only slightly taller than the doe with a white pastry box in her hooves, looked between the two.

"N-nothin'," said Gideon, shooting Judy a warning glare. The rabbit giggled and decided she was better off shoving the rest of her cupcake in her mouth.

"Gid, thank you for the cupcakes!" The ewe lifted the box and beamed at the todd. "Coconut is my absolute favorite and these are the best I've ever had."

Judy snorted through her mouthful, causing both of her friends to stare at her. Gideon glared while the ewe just looked worried.

"N-no worries, Sharla," he said as the bunny still laughed and choked on her dessert.

"Well, thanks again! I gotta go clean out my locker now." Sharla cheerfully started skipping away, then turned back to them with a grin. "Can you believe it's the last day of school already?"

Judy was finally able to get herself under control as they watched her friend disappear around a corner. Gid let out a sigh as Judy smiled and shook her head.

"Can't say I didn't see that coming." She looked up at her friend who was still staring dreamily in the direction where Sharla had vanished. "How long now?"

"Since the third grade."

"Is that why you always stole her markers when she was trying to make her science project?" The fox nodded glumly. Judy patted his elbow. "You know she has a crush on you too, right?" She had never seen someone's head snap up so quickly. His blue eyes widened as they landed back on her.

With a smile, he opened his mouth to reply, only to be stopped by a brown and cream buck. The new rabbit grabbed them both by the elbows and casted a worried glance behind him, guiding them down the hallway at a faster pace.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," he muttered as they were guided into the doorway of a classroom. Quentin, one of Judy's litter mates, pushed them against the door and peered around the corner back into the hall.

"Who are we hidin' from?" asked Gideon.

The buck shushed him and waved his paws to dismiss the question. After a time, he sighed with relief and gave a shaky laugh.

"I called George a bucked tooth fuck face," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "And now he and his cronies are out for blood."

Judy groaned and buried her face in her paws as Gideon laughed, almost spilling the box of treats in his paws. Quentin gave a sheepish grin and shrugged at their reactions before giving the hall another cautious glance. "Why would you call him that?" asked Judy, slightly exasperated.

"Because he is one! Strutting around, acting like he's Serendipity's gift to does. And I figured, since he likes you, Judy, that he wouldn't start anything if I'm hanging around." Her brother slowly crept out of the doorway, motioning them to follow.

"He's wasting his time," she replied, rolling her eyes. At that moment, her phone chimed.

And her ears went red when she opened the Snapcat to Nick's face, with a wide exaggerated grin, and the banner "TWO MORE DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL!". Before she could stop herself, she hit 'respond' and snapped a selfie.

'THIS IS MY LAST DAY! HAHAHA!'

-Dumb Fox- …ouch, carrots. very ouch

-Carrots- Hey, Slick? What has two thumbs and starts summer vacation two days before you? THIS DOE!

-Dumb Fox- What has 2 thumbs and owes me ice cream 4 a week? U DO! ;)

She laughed at that only to look up at the sound of clearing throats. Gid and Quentin grinned at her before they shook their heads and started back down the hallway.

"What?" She regarded them with wide eyed confusion as the two males exchanged looks.

"It's just heart-warming to see you with a crush!" cooed her brother. "Always dreamed this day would come! Always thought it would be another bunny but, eh! What can you do? At least it's not George." With a sudden gasp, he turned and gave her a hopeful smile. "Can I be the one to tell him you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't have a crush and I don't have a boyfriend!" She cried out in frustration. Gideon laughed and called over his shoulder.

"Like you don't enjoy lookin' into those big brown eyes of his!" That caused Judy to rush after the two of them.

"Ha! His eyes are green!" she said in triumph.

The buck and fox both dissolved into laughter. "You just proved our point!" Her brother was still laughing as he waved good bye to them and ducked into his class.

"Oh, please!" Judy scoffed. "Nick is a huge jerk who thinks he knows everything and won't stop talking about ice cream."

Gideon nodded as he considered her words. Without saying anything, a large paw reached out towards her phone. She surrendered it with quirked eyebrows and watched as he flicked through what she figured were her messages and Snaps. Smile still intact as the phone was placed back in her paws, the fox gave a final, firm nod at her.

"He has a crush on you, too." And with that, Gideon pulled open their classroom door and smirked back at her before vanishing through it.

Judy looked down at her phone as it beeped again.

-Dumb Fox- }= Regular Carrot. }= little carrot! }= BIG CARROT!

(\\_/)

(o.o)

(_), and u, Carrots!

"Huh." With a wrinkled brow, Judy tucked her phone away and went to class.

 _He is kinda cute,_ she thought. _But, I don't really like him… that much…_

...

For the sake of honesty, Nick had been sending out text rabbits to everyone in his phone, though Judy and Skye were the major recipients. Skye more so. He made sure that every opportunity he got, a rabbit was built and sent to his big sister, approximately one every forty-five minutes or so.

Finnick had threatened to bite his face off after the second, a threat Nick knew he would follow through with. David threatened to send his friend explicit pictures of himself, resulting in Nick sending him a link outlining the laws regarding child pornography. And proceeded to send him four bunnies in a row.

Now, with his day winding down, Nick leaned against his closed locker, waiting for Finnick. Two rabbits were sent to the rabbit that held his attention while he waited. His skateboard propped next to him and his backpack at his feet, Nick scrolled through her Snapcat stories, resisting the urge to screenshot the bunny's latest post.

The other fox grinning next to her in it made his irritation rise, but her happy purple eyes were too irresistible to ignore. After back clicking, he selected another picture, this one of her wearing a cop hat and aviators. 'Soon to be Officer Hopps', the banner said. Nick's smile widened at that.

He gave a startled yelp when the phone was tugged from his paws.

"Yowza!" came the grating voice of Nick's least favorite mammal.

Daniel Woods, a woodchuck Nick had the displeasure of being in the Ranger Scouts with, held the phone out of reach as the fox lunged for it. Two wildebeest bulls stepped up to keep the fox from getting any closer. They both looked over their leader's shoulder and gave looks of approval at the picture of the bunny.

"Give me my phone back, dickweed," he growled angrily.

Daniel simply smirked at him before turning his attention back to the screen and started flicking through her story boards.

"Kiss your mother with that mouth, Wilde?" he asked, eyes still on the screen. "And my, my, my." He turned the screen towards him, a picture of Judy wearing her running gear flashed in Nick's direction. "Please don't tell me you think you would have a chance with her. Female this hot needs a real male, fox.

"MMM-hmmm," he tossed the phone back to him. "Yeah, I remember her. That's the rabbit that wants to be a cop, right? I saw her at camp on Saturday. Sweet piece of tail, she is. Much too sweet for a fox." He waggled his eyebrows as Nick glowered at him. "Can't see her saying no when I ask her out."

Nick felt himself growl as the trio walked away, Daniel laughing as the twins followed him. His thumb hit the unlock button and his gaze found the picture again. She really was adorable.

 _My bunny is too smart to fall for you, Daniel_ , he thought with a frown. His eyebrows raised as a messaged popped up.

\- Carrots - (\\_/)

\\(^o^)/

(_),

And this is a happy bunny free from her LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Enjoy your next two days, Slick ;).

-Dumb Fox- Yeah, yeah, rub it in cottontail!

"Nicky!" The sudden shout almost caused the todd to drop his phone as his ears splayed back in alarm. A tall, slender mountain lioness rushed up to him, flyer in her paws and grin on her muzzle. Bouncing on the balls of her feet as she came to a stop in front of him, Nick repressed a groan.

"Hey, Tabitha," he said with a forced smile while he craned his neck to look up at her.

"Oh my gods, Nicky." She shoved a flyer into his paws. "I'm am throwing the BEST party this Friday! There's going to be games, there's going to be food, music, dancing! My parents are going to be there, but they said they would stay out of the way! Please, please, please, PLEASE! Tell me you're going to be there!"

Her bright amber eyes gleamed as the fox gave a slight sigh of defeat and nodded to her. The resulting squeal had him flattening his ears as passersby winced at the high-pitched noise. With a happy hop, Tabitha clapped her paws together and started to walk away.

"Oh," she added with a backwards glance. "Natasha is going to be there, too! I know she would love some one on one time with you!" With a final wink, she moved on to her next target.

"Who wants one on one time with you?" came the surprisingly deep voice of Finnick.

"Natasha," he replied with a roll of his eyes. He went back to his phone to send another bunny to Skye. Finnick laughed as the red fox picked up his board and backpack. "Seriously, you'd think physically turning and heading in the opposite direction would be enough."

"Must be tough for you," agreed the fennec sardonically. "You going to Tab's party, right?" Nick shrugged as they left the cool building and threw their boards to the ground. "So, practice on her."

"What?" came the taller todd's startled reply.

"You know." Finnick shrugged as he pushed off with a kick of his hindpaw, his friend right behind him. "Natasha has the hots for you and she's the hottest vixen in school. You haven't even kissed anyone yet, so why not try it out with her? That way, there's no serious pressure when you get that chance to kiss the bu… one you really want…"

Nick rolled his eyes at him, catching what the other fox had stopped himself from saying.

"Sounds like you want me to lead the poor vixen on," he speculated, as he pumped his leg to maneuvered the board to an unsuspecting stone bench. "It also sounds really evil and heartless."

Finnick whistled lowly as Nick ollied and pulled the grind off flawlessly.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't let a good opportunity to slip through your paws."

Emerald green eyes rolled again. The idea of someone he felt nothing for, other than basic annoyance, taking his first kiss made his stomach turn. The two foxes skating side by side in silence helped his resolve. The fennec steered his board down a side street, motioning Nick to follow.

They had only just entered the surprisingly quiet area when he spotted what Finnick had dragged him here for. Both todds hopped off their boards, pushing them into the grass as they walked open mouthed towards their target.

It was a new addition to the outer decor of the Zootopia Museum of Modern Art. The lioness was posed seductively, her body upright, with one paw stretched to the sky and the other behind her head, which was angled down. Her shapely form was bare, her legs angled to hide her loins and chest hosting the barest hints of breasts. A perfect tail was wrapped around her form, the tip resting on her belly.

"Wow," said Nick, as he accepted the can of spray paint from his friend. "They were really asking for it, weren't they?"

"Yup," was the amused response.

"Hallelujah," he muttered, pulling the cap off. His phone went off as he got ready to change the muted grey of the statue's tail to a hot pink.

-Carrots- /\/\

o o

=V= It's a fox! -

-Dumb Fox- That's the dumbest fox I ever saw…

-Carrots- I don't think it looks that much like you… ;)

Nick chuckled to himself before pocketing his phone to shake the can of spray paint. Still smiling, he looked up at the statue and Finnick, having climbed to the top of it, and paused. His friend had fitted a mane on her head and a pair of star sunglasses to the bridge of her nose. A bikini top would follow, with bottoms tossed up to her raised paw.

It was something he and Finnick had done before, the results making them laugh for days afterwards. But Skye's words echoed back at him. He hadn't gone a single weekend without getting into trouble. Always being collected from the precinct or coming home with black eyes; his mother and sister passing by graffitied walls, wondering if it was because of him.

"Yo, Nick!"

His head snapped up to where Finnick was, his small paws gripping the neck of statue before beginning his descent down it.

"What's the matter, fox?" The fennec's paws landed lightly on the cement base, his big brown eyes peering over at his motionless friend. "That shit won't spray itself."

Any reply was cutoff at the sudden sound of a police siren right behind him. Officer Bogo, his brows furrowed in frustration, met the red todd's gaze when he glanced over his shoulder. Paws gripping the paint, Nick grabbed his board and took off, Finnick close behind him.

"Hey, Finn?" he called over his shoulder, his voice slightly panicked. "Ever think that maybe we should give this whole thing a rest?"

Finn laughed as he threw his own down and jumped on.

"And miss all this cardio!" Two small paws were thrown in the air as he shot a grin to the cape buffalo who decided to not pursue them. "Never, fox! Never!"

Finicky cackled uproariously, his board zigzagging away. A short wave was given before he skated in the direction of his own home, leaving Nick to frown after him.

He spared a glance at the can still in his paw. Bringing his focus back to the sidewalk, he pumped his hind leg to gain speed. Green eyes caught sight of a trash bin coming up. Without a second thought, the todd aimed and tossed the can, grinning as it landed neatly inside it.

...

Brook Fangmeyer looked down at the invitation in her paw. After Tabitha had bounced off, she had been sorely tempted to ball it up and throw it away. But she liked the cheerful lioness and knew it would mean a lot to her if she showed up. The fact that David Wolford had been seen grinning down at his own played no part in her decision to go.

Well, no large part.

Tabby was a friend and Judy would be around Friday. It would be good for the bunny to expand her Zootopian friend circle. With a final nod to herself, Brook's mind was made up. She would go to the party and drag Judy along with her. Her phone pulled from her pocket, a quick message was typed out to her friend as she rounded the corner.

Unfortunate timing caused her to look up and instantly duck back into the hall she'd just left, the text she had been typing forgotten in her haste.

Peeking around her hiding spot, the tigress' eyes widened at the sight of Dave leaning against his locker, a pretty white she-wolf beaming up at him. Brook watched as they giggled together and leaned close to exchange what she was sure was flirty banter.

 _C'mon, Brook,_ she thought to herself. _You knew he was never really serious about liking you. He's a fan of all females with a pulse._

But it didn't keep the tears from stinging her eyes as she rushed back the way she'd come.

...

Skye stood over the register, smiling as she handed change over to the wolverine sipping her coffee, before turning to the crew working beside her. Sandra was clearing tables, Bobby restocking the coffee station, and Jon was fixing the dessert display.

Her eyes went to the order window, smile ready for the striped buck who seemed to know when she was looking at him. Without fail, they always locked gazes for several heartbeats before looking away with bashful grins as a blush swept over their faces.

But today, there was no Jack. Skye herself had bullied him out the door early that morning, talking over his concerns and reasoning away his misgivings about leaving the cafe.

"I don't know, Skye," he muttered, worrying his bottom lip as she shooed him to the door. "What if we get a massive order in? What if Jon gets confused and needs help? What if-"

"Judy is left waiting for her big brother, who promised to pick her up, and he never shows?" Skye smiled at her boss. "Jack, don't worry, ok? This is why you hired me! I can run this place in my sleep. Have faith!" She gave him a wry smile when he still looked uncertain. "You do have faith in me, don't you?"

At that, the buck's ears shot up and he spun around to face her.

"Of course I do! You're incredible! It's ju-"

"Just that this is your first time leaving the cafe for longer than a few hours." His bag was placed in his paws as she herded him outside to the pick-up truck he rented. "I promise I'll call you if any of us have questions. Now, go get our bunny!"

She smiled at the memory of his slightly downcast smile and wave before hopping in the truck and driving away. Now, the normally cheerful cafe felt… barren without him. Without his muttering, without his ears shooting up to catch bits of conversation, without the slightly earthy scent that her nose could pick out from all the others, including the coffee.

Feeling despondent, she gave her head a shake and turned back to the cafe. Just in time for Sandra to come hurrying up to the coffee bar, a newspaper clutched in her paw.

"Hey, boss," she gasped out, slightly wild eyed. Thrusting the paper towards her, the doe gave it a meaningful look. "You're gonna want to read this."

Blue eyes scanned over the article in her paw, her jaw dropping, before she gave a quick glance to the watch on her wrist.

"I'll call him tonight," she decided aloud, looking up at the workers reading over her shoulder. "He's going to want to hear this."

...

Judy strolled the halls of Bunnyburrow Junior High for the last time, smiling as Gideon chattered on and on about his upcoming visit to Zootopia. Quentin was silently walking beside them, though it was mostly due to the leftover cupcakes the fox had surrendered. The rabbit buck happily munched away, nodding in acknowledgment of what was being said.

The doe, however, was too preoccupied to really pay either male any mind. With a distant smile, she fidgeted with her phone, unconsciously waiting for a text from another red fox. It wasn't until her brother's paw shot out to grip her arm that she was thrusted back into reality.

"Maple alert," he muttered through a mouthful of cake. "Sorry, Gid."

The todd's ears flattened at the sight of the snow-white rabbit doe standing in front of the school. Already surrounded by their other brothers and sisters, her grey eyes were set upon the front doors expectantly. Her dislike for foxes was well known throughout the small town.

Her eyes landed on the trio exiting the building, her expression one of shock and distaste upon seeing Gideon. He gave a small sigh before he turned to the two rabbits beside him.

"I'll text y'all later," he said before walking away from them, giving their eldest sister an equally distrustful look.

"Bye, Gideon," they muttered back as Maple approached. She scowled after the todd, taking both siblings by their paws and yanking them further away from his retreating form.

"I thought I told you guys to stay away from him!" She hissed through clenched teeth.

Judy tugged her paw free and Quentin's ears drooped.

"He's my best friend. I'm not going to just drop him because you tell me to," she declared, storming towards her other siblings who were waiting for them. "Excuse me for having the ability to look beyond species, Maple."

Maple released Quentin when they reached the others, many eyes and ears tuned to their sisters' argument. Judy shook her head at her before stomping off.

"He's a fox! Judy," her sister scowled after. "You of all mammals know how vicious foxes can be! Remember what he did to your cheek? You still have the scars! It's only a matter of time before he does something worse. All foxes should be rounded up and herded away from good society!"

Mouth falling open, Judy spun to glare at her big sister. She vividly remembered Jack's reaction to Skye every time she entered the room. How his face would light up and his body vibrate with excitement at her proximity. Though she chose to reason away the butterflies she felt when Nick tucked his phone number into her paw.

"That's an incredibly heartless thing to say. And as far as Gideon goes, we were five!" she argued. "And I scared him and stepped on his tail. He didn't mean to scratch me and he's more than made up for it since then. You don't even know him, May!"

A chorus of 'yeahs' echoed around her as some of her younger siblings tailed behind their Judy. There were seven of them, ages five to nine. They were the ones to hang around her the longest before she left for Zootopia and the first to greet her when she came back. They followed her as ducklings would follow their mother, each wearing plastic sheriff stars pinned to their shirts.

And they all gave little gasps, as did the larger group surrounding Maple, when a speeding truck drove past them. One of the rabbits in the bed of it slapped the roof frantically, the driver pulling off to the side a few yards in front of the Hopps family. Judy groaned quietly to herself as the buck jumped from his seat to the sidewalk.

With a cocky strut, he gave a lopsided grin to the doe.

"Judy, Judy, Judy," George purred, stopping in front of her. "You get prettier every time I see you."

She could practically hear Maple's beam at the cheesy pick up line, though Quentin's gag was more audible. George's eyes flicked over to him and narrowed, missing Judy's eyeroll.

"So, here's what I'm thinking, Judy," he continued, "You and me, Friday night. We go to the movies, grab a bite to eat, then hit the arcade. Pick you up at five?"

He grinned at her, one that didn't have time to fall as she side stepped him. "No, thank you," came her flippant response. Her entourage filed after her, each one repeating "no, thank you" as they passed the stunned buck.

Judy didn't even bother glancing back at George, though she could hear Maple and a few of her other siblings apologize for her behavior.

Quentin gave the rejected buck a smug look that dropped when those dark brown eyes narrowed on him again. He rushed after his sister and her followers, glancing back long enough to stick his tongue out at him.

"Judy!" Cried Maple. "Do you realize what you did?"

"Yup," she responded as she continued on her way. They passed the parked pickup, ignoring the jeers and calls from George's brothers waiting for him. Maple pushed herself next to Judy and stared down at her.

"So, you don't care that a respectable, good looking buck asked you out and you rejected him like he was… was…"

"Was threatening to beat up my brother and makes a point to flirt with every doe he sees?" Judy waved a dismissing paw. "No thank you!"

"No thank you!" agreed her entourage.

The younger doe smiled to herself as Maple huffed as her phone buzzed in her paw. She fought to keep her smile from growing when she saw it was from Nick.

-Dumb Fox- dont b jelly, carrots ;), followed by a picture of the largest slice of pizza she had ever seen. The doe rolled her eyes and tucked her phone away.

"Besides," she continued as she they rounded the bend towards the Hopps farm, "I'm going to be in Zootopia this Friday with…"

Her purple eyes widened further as she spotted an unfamiliar truck in the driveway. With a look at the Savanna District licenses plate, Judy gave an excited squeal and took off, her followers cheering and laughing alongside her.

"Jack!" they chorused.

Judy darted across the front yard, up the porch steps, through the front door, and into the kitchen.

"Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack!" she chanted, grinning at the sight of her big brother in the kitchen, along with a dozen or so other siblings.

Jack grinned back at her, pushing away from the dinner he was helping his mother make, and rushed forward to scoop her into a firm hug. Their younger siblings who had followed crowded around his legs, each trying to get a hug in while shrieking their excitement. Setting Judy down, he knelt to give them all a tight embrace.

"Looks like your fan club grew, Bun Bun!" he laughed. Straightening up and returning to his task, Judy came to peer around his shoulder.

"Ravioli?" she questioned. "Awfully fancy for a group of country folk."

Jack grinned as he spooned a dollop of seasoned squash and cashew ricotta into an evenly spaced row on the raw pasta.

"It's a special occasion," he reasoned. "How often am I home? And when I leave I'm taking you with me!" He winked at his little sister, before refocusing on his dish. "Only right we do it up proper! Right, Mama?"

Bonnie Hopps had come in from her herb garden, passing some of her bounty off to another son to use in the sauce, before she smiled back at him.

"Sure!" she agreed. "Let's go with that!"

Taking another spoon and sampling Jack's filling, she gave a slight groan and a nod of approval. Her eyes flicked over his messy apron, tattered t-shirt, and worn jeans.

"Sweetheart?" He glanced up and smiled in acknowledgment. "What are you wearing for dinner tonight?"

Smile dropping, blue eyes filled with confusion. "This…?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, no, no! Absolutely not. I picked out a nice outfit and laid it on your bed in your old room! After this, wash up and change."

And with that, their mother kissed his cheek, hugged Judy and went about her rounds in the kitchen, Judy's entourage following in her wake. Jack gave a perplexed glance at her retreating form before turning back to Judy.

"Should I be worried?"

Judy took her own sample and nodded, smiling at the sweet and nutty taste of the ravioli filling.

"Fancy meal, no doubt better clothes, and I saw her pull the nice table cloth out last night. The one she uses for special occasions." She shrugged, hefted her backpack a bit further up her shoulders. "Brace yourself."

Jack sighed and finished up the ravioli, passing it on to another sibling to cook. A ding from his phone pulled both their attentions.

"Another order?" Jack muttered to himself, glancing at the screen. "That's the fourth one in the last hour…"

"That's good though, right?" His little sister looked up at him and quirked her ears at him as he nodded.

"Yeah, it's just weird," he commented with a shrug then went to walk the kitchen, triple checking that everything was on track. "Trials of popularity and all that."

Judy laughed before heading in the direction of her room. Spotting a bowl of fresh picked blueberries waiting on the counter top, she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them.

\- Carrots - Don't be jelly, Slick ;)

...

Three hours later, Jack was smoothing his paws over the sweater vest his mother had picked out for him. Dark grey, paired with matching slacks and a navy blue button down, the buck repressed a groan when he caught his reflection in the hallway mirror.

"At least she didn't make me wear a suit," he muttered, turning to the side to judge his temporary new look. "I look like the kit that gets his lunch money stolen in middle school…"

"You really do," came the cheerful voice of his litter mate, Tom. With a wide grin, the dark-brown furred buck threw his arm around his sibling and ruffled the fur between his ears.

Laughing, Jack pushed him away but didn't bother to fix himself.

"You are the luckiest buck in Bunnyburrow, by the way," exclaimed Tom, steering his brother towards the kitchen. "Wait till you see who's coming to dinner."

Tom hurried away, smoothing the fur between his ears as he went, leaving Jack groaning internally. Crossing through the kitchen doorway, his mother looked up from handing off dishes to her various kits. Bonnie gave an appraising look to her son before nodding in satisfaction.

"Perfect!" She smiled happily as she made her way to him, smoothing out the collar of his shirt before patting his cheek. "Blue really is your color, sweetie."

The sound of the screen door opening, Stu coming through the door with a wine bottle in his paws. He paused at the sight of his wayward son, chuckling as he eyed what he wore.

"Chess club meeting here tonight?" he asked with a grin. Jack stuck his tongue out at his dad before accepting a large bowl of salad to put on the table. And scowled at his next words, whispered to his wife when he thought Jack was far enough. "And you're sure she's coming over?"

...

Every high school has that one mammal everyone wanted to date, be, or be around. Whether it was looks, popularity, or material possessions, that mammal (or mammals) tend to leave their peers panting after them. And many were left with lingering longing when thought of, even years after everyone parted ways.

For Jack's peers, it was Emma Longrass.

She was the epitome of what a bunny doe should be. Slender and graceful, golden brown fur and hazel eyes, active in the community, cheerleader and prom queen, and had been crowned Carrot Queen three years running at the annual Carrot Days festival. Jack's fellow bucks had been in fierce competition for her affections.

Jack himself had entertained the thought of asking her out. Until the striped buck watched her toy with two of his best friends, pitting them against each other only to start dating someone from another school. So, seeing her walk through his parent's back door was a bit of a shock.

Still just as gorgeous as he remembered, dressed to kill, she fixed him with a hungry look that made him wish he had brought Skye. His parents might have thrown a fit, but the vixen was a more welcomed sight. It took everything he had not to curl his lip in disgust when Emma approached him. Attention turned back to the dressing he was finishing, an exasperated groan withheld when she leaned against the counter next to him.

"Why, hello there," came the familiar sultry voice.

"Emma," he greeted, eyes still locked on his creation.

"I forgot how dashing you look, Jack," she purred as her eyes trailed over him. "Zootopia has been good to you."

She closed the distance between them, pressing herself to his side. Jack's ears shot up as he leaned away. Emma simply smirked and raised a dainty paw to trace his ear alluringly.

"I can't see myself not enjoying any part of this evening," she whispered in a husky voice. She batted her eyes and pulled away as Maple and his mother entered to bring the last of the meal to the table. "I'll save you a seat."

With a wink, she took the dressing from him and greeted the does enthusiastically. Unease pooled in his stomach as he followed them to the dinner table. A quick glance over at Judy, seated further down, and he saw her own face twisted in dislike at the sight of Emma. Jack shook his head in despair at her, earning a giggle from his sister, before she pretended to gag. He snorted, causing the new doe to raise her brows at him as she took her seat beside the buck.

Jack had never wanted to tear his fur out more. And he had a sloth as his introduction to psychology professor in college. Sitting next to her gave him ample opportunity to figure out how to drown out her ceaseless chatter. A male could only hear about how she was the queen of Bunnyburrow and vice president of her sorority so many times.

Tom and his single brothers listened intently to the gorgeous doe, hanging on to her every word. They even laughed under their breath when she mockingly called Judy cute for wanting to be a cop. His little sister's glare was dismissed and softened with Jack's own, directed at Emma.

He couldn't help but compare her to Skye. How the vixen turned to whomever was in the room to ask how they were. The way she listened to absorb what they said, not just to respond. How soft and lush her fur was compared to the doe next to him and how her tail seemed to always seek his ankles for a light brush.

And the fact that she, like Jack himself, encouraged his Judy to go after her dreams.

A muffled jingle reached his ears, temporarily halting the dinner conversation. Not even attempting to apologize, he reached into his pocket for his phone and smiled at the number.

"So sorry," he said as he stood from his seat. "Business call! I'll be right back."

Bonnie sent him a stern look that he pointedly ignored and grabbed his wine glass. Racing to the patio, he leaned against the door and inhaled the late spring air before accepting the call. "Words will never be enough to convey my gratitude for your timing."

On the other end, Skye grinned at the sound of his voice. Standing at her living room window, she surveyed her view. Part of her mind summoned the image of the handsome buck, he and his scent a phantom to all her senses.

"Having that great a time, are we?" She laughed at his scoff, before turning to grab the newspaper from her dining room table. "I actually wanted to read a little story to you. So, grab a seat and get comfortable."

Bemused, Jack walked to the swinging bench and settled down, taking a long pull from his wine glass.

"All right!" he confirmed. "I'm ready to be entertained." He smiled at the sound of the vixen clearing her throat.

" _'Sweet satisfaction can be found in Downtown Zootopia, within the Savanna District's own historic Brownstone Grass Street. The charming, renovated duplex is home to one of the many gems our fair city hides away for rainy days and this food critic was lucky enough to have stumbled upon it.'_ "

Slack jawed, the buck sat and listened to his fox read the latest review of the Perk. Everything was given a glowing critique, from the decor to the traditional drip coffee. And when the mention of personalized orders was brought up, the flood of them he received made a lot more sense.

"Jack," breathed Skye. "What I have in my paws is a rave review, found in the Zootopian Times and written by FRU FRU BIG!"

The buck had taken a drink from his wine, only to spray it out at the mention of the popular columnist. Fru Fru Big was the final say in Zootopia when it came to food, fashion, and culture. Brands that were mentioned, places that were visited, and meals that were consumed by the shrew could be made or broken at the moment of publication.

"Holy shit…" Jack numbly blinked, absorbing the surprising news. A thought flirted through his head. "Hold on Skye."

Pulling the phone from his ear, he opened his email and scrolled through.

Pausing at one, he drew in a deep breath as he read through the preview.

Raising the phone once more, he took a few breaths to calm himself down.

"She scheduled a cake tasting with me…" Skye gasped on the other end.

"Oh my, Karma…" She gave a small squeal that had him holding his phone at arm's length from his ear. "Jack! This is so exciting!"

"And it's all thanks to you," he said with a grin. He chuckled at her huff.

"Hardly! I haven't even been here a week yet. So, really, it's all thanks to your hard work and perseverance." Silence followed her statement, both mammals breathing softly into their phones, smiling to themselves at the sounds of their breath. "Miss me yet?"

Jack closed his eyes and smiled bigger at the twinge of hope in her voice. "Would you judge me if I said yes?"

Skye laughed at that. "My heart would be too broken to feel judgement if you said no."

"In that case…" The vixen held her breath at his pause. "Yes, I do." She grinned and moved back to stand at her living room window, the lights of the city dimmed by the reflection of a beaming fox. "I'll be back in the afternoon. Hopefully sooner."

"Can't wait," she whispered, her heart pounding. Another easy silence followed.

"Good night, Skye," the rabbit breathed.

"Good night, Jack." She started to pulled her phone away before a sudden thought occurred to her. "And Jack? I miss you, too."

She hung up before he could respond. Sitting on the porch swing, with light from the kitchen window pouring over him, he lowered the phone to his lap. Her picture still showed on the screen, a candid shot he had taken when they were closing together earlier in the week.

His heart gave a pleasant flutter as he studied it and mulled over the article he had been read. The opening and closing of the kitchen door was an unwelcome greeting to reality. Blue eyes met purple as Judy came to a stop in front of him.

"She's still talking. I have no idea what she's saying," she sighed. "It's all one big blah, blah, blah."

"So, really it's just BLAH?" He laughed, pulling a silly face at her.

"More or less," she tapped her foot impatiently. "So, I'm here to drag you back in before I rip her ears off and stuff them down her throat."

Her brother stood and wrapped an arm around her as they walked back to the dinner table. With a reassuring squeeze to Judy's shoulder, Jack took his place once more with murmured apologies.

"Jack," his mother called, "Emma was just telling us she works at a marketing firm in Zootopia. What was the name of it again, sweetheart?"

"Paddington Marketing," she replied smugly. Turning to him, she quirked her eyebrows as he tried to put his attention back on her and away from fluffy, snow white fur and blue eyes. "You know, there are a lot of opportunities for advertising your cafe, Jack. My firm can help unlock it's potential. And, because it's me, I can get a huge discount for you on our services."

That got Jack's attention. Paddington Marketing was obscenely expensive, but one of the best in the business. His jaw dropped at her offer, not registering the smile she had had turned sultry.

"We can get together this weekend and talk business. Maybe over dinner?" She batted her pretty hazel eyes at him and his brothers (and a few of his sisters), both married and single gave a slight groan. Judy and Quentin giggled at the sharp whacks the married ones were given by their partners.

"I'm swamped with orders, actually," Jack's voice was surprisingly apologetic.

"But my store manager, Skye, is whom you're going to want to meet with."

He grinned at her disappointed pout. "And I think you'll like her."

...

Vivian Wilde had had a long day. A really, really long day. She had spent the last three days working double shifts, ensuring she had Greg's graduation day off. While things at the hospital weren't crazy, the constant motion wore on her by the end of her third day.

Happy to be home, with her oldest son at work and her youngest in his room, she felt a rare sense of contentment as she folded the last of her laundry. The feeling came and went these days, sticking around just a bit longer as she became more comfortable with her own company.

She gave an absent smile as she reached towards the last shirt, recognizing it as Greg's. After deftly folding it, it was placed at the top of the stack. The pile was dropped onto her bed before she crossed the hall to her eldest son's room, the top drawer tugged open to put it away.

Only to find an open box of condoms. Withholding a sigh, the shirt was put away and the box was removed for examination.

"At least he's using protection." They were placed back where she found them, a slight tinge of guilt blooming at invading her son's privacy. "They just grow up so fast."

She blinked back tears before pulling out her phone. A quick message was sent to the son in question before she headed towards Nick's room. He sat hunched over his desk, the lively music of the video game he played filling the space. Vivian smiled at him and cleared her throat. Nick started, looking guilty as he angled his face to hers.

"I'm getting hungry," she said with a grin. "What do think about, oh I don't know? Bugga Burger?"

"Bugga Burger?" His green eyes widened in surprise. Vivian never let them have fast food if she could help it. "What's the catch?"

With a shrug and sly smile, she gave him a wink before replying. "Being seen out in public with your mother."

"Done." Nick and Vivian shook paws as he grabbed his hoody and followed her out the door.

The pair walked the short distance to the restaurant, Vivian telling her son all the gross medical stories she had, which he loved. He asked questions about the sex-ed class he was going to take while she tried to once again, wheedle information out of him about his crush.

 _What sort of vixen could have gotten his attention?_ She asked herself.

She reached for the door of Bugga Burger, looking down to smile at her son, only to see his attention was caught elsewhere. A young tigress she recognized as Brooklynn Fangmeyer was seated on an outside table, her face angled away. She was talking animatedly to a bunny on the screen of her phone.

"Please, please, please Judy!" she was whining. "I will owe you, like, all the favors if you go to this party with me."

Vivian glanced at Nick and felt flummoxed. His face was alight with hope as he perked his ears to the conversation they were eavesdropping on. She took in how his tail was raised slightly, his fur on end as he seemed to wait for the response. Hiding a smile she waited patiently, now curious to know the answer herself.

"Fine, I'll go!" came the distant response. Vivian raised her eyebrows as Nick fist pumped. "Only because I love you."

"And because Nick Wilde is going to be there," came the smart reply from Brook. Her son gasped, eyes going wide when the bunny began to stutter her response.

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she put her paw on her son's shoulder, surprising him. He looked up and gulped, but all she did was smirk and jerk her head towards the restaurant lobby. Letting the door close behind them, her eyes sought out Greg's, her smile growing at his happy wave.

Taking their place in line, she wrapped her tail around Nick and cleared her throat again.

"So," she began. "Judy, is it?" Nick's ears grew darker as he lowered his gaze and nodded. "A bunny?" The young todd seemed to shrink in on himself. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

She laughed at his groan as they stepped up to the counter, Greg already typing in his brother's usual. He grinned at the two of them when the manager came over to comp the meal with a friendly smile and nod.

"Nothing but the best for you, Mama," said Greg with a wink. Vivian grinned back and put her arm around Nick.

 _At least he's using protection,_ she thought, contentment growing as they took their seats to enjoy their meal. Nick tore into his eagerly. _And at least he'll share if he needs to._

Yup, this is going to be a lot of fun.


	9. The Perks of Real Life

A/N: A special thanks to kt_valmiri for editing and resurrecting the carrot spacers :)! This one is for you, sugar pop!

={}=

Nick had taken a forty-five minute shower. He had meticulously brushed every inch of his thick red fur, making sure not a single patch was out of place. The medicine cabinet was riffled through and his brother's cologne found, one generous spay applied. And it left the young todd gagging at the scent.

Now he stood in the basement of Tabitha Peaks, surrounded by his former classmates as they gossiped and laughed. There were copious amounts of snacks and pizza, the music wasn't too terrible (just a little too poppy for his liking), and he even ran into his old friend Yax, who'd moved away last semester to the Sahara District.

He seemed ever so slightly out of it when Nick greeted him. The fox had always known him as being from a more… free spirited type of family. But Nick's mind wasn't on the yak with glassy eyes tugging at the collar of his shirt. Nor was it on the giggling hostess as she tried to organize a round of spin the bottle. There was nothing more interesting at the party than the stairs leading to where it was taking place.

Though the lack of bunny coming down them made his stomach flip and flop.

After finding out that Brook had invited Judy, all Nick could think about was how close they would be to each other all night. Sure, they would be spending tons of time working at the cafe. And then there was camp.

But this.

This was place was lacking adult supervision. At least, it was lighter on it.

Mr. and Mrs. Peaks kept themselves upstairs with their own friends, within ear shot but out of the teens' fur. As long as the music stayed at a reasonable volume and everyone behaved, there was no need to hover. It helped that the basement was outfitted with everything needed to keep them entertained.

A large flat screen and multiple gaming consoles with a great sound system, a pool table medium-sized mammals could play on comfortably and several dartboards. A good combination of classmates had shown up, too. Tabitha was friendly with nearly everyone in the school, making her ascent to student body president a breeze. Nearly everyone in their grade had shown up.

So, Nick wandered the crowded basement, Finnick next to him and Dave challenging anyone willing to a game of pool. He had shaken off Tabby's attempts to corral him into spin the bottle, wanting to avoid Natasha as she had tried to grab his paw and pull him over.

"What are you doing?" Demanded Finnick when the lioness and vixen gave up and walked back to the circle. "This is the perfect opportunity! And you're just ignoring it!"

"I'm not interested, Finn, so drop it!" Nick ran his paws through the fur between his ears as they headed over to the refreshment table. Picking up a can of soda from the cooler, the taller todd shook his head. "Why is this such a big deal for you, anyway? Rebecca Marsh has had the hots for you for, like, two years and you never even looked at her."

"I'm too young to be tied down, fox." He snatched his own can and turned to observe the party. "Rebecca is looking for something more long term. Besides, we're going to be high schoolers next year! Why bother starting something when bigger things are around the corner for us?"

But he had already lost Nick's attention. The scent had hit his nose before his brain registered the new arrivals. Ears snapping forward and fur standing on end, bright green eyes honed in on Brook coming down the staircase, followed closely by Judy.

"Brook!" cried Tabby from her spot in the circle. "Come on, come on, come on! You've got to join in on this! And who's your friend? She's adorable!"

The tigress grinned down at Judy, who glared at the lioness, before shrugging and heading over to the group surrounding an empty glass bottle. Judy happened to look over at that moment and caught Nick's eye. A small smile was sent his way before she blushed and hurried towards her friend. Breathing a bit too hard, the fox smiled after her.

"Wanna play spin the bottle?" he asked Finnick, his eyes following the bunny as she sat in-between Brook and Tabby.

"Grand idea," the smaller todd responded sarcastically. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Nick grabbed his paw and dragged him towards the group. Settling down so he was across from the rabbit, the fox eagerly watched their hostess give the bottle a firm spin. Everyone giggled when it landed on Sandy Prince, a slender deer doe who giggled as she leaned in to accept the kiss.

Sandy went on to kiss Bucky Antlerson, who kissed Pronk Oryx, much to everyone's delight. Most of the school had been waiting for them to get together since Christmas, what with their constant, old married couple bickering. In Nick's excitement at his close proximity to Judy, it never occurred to him what would have to be done in order to get a shot at kissing her.

So, when Pronk spun the bottle and it pointed to the pretty grey bunny, he tried to tamper down the jealousy that raged up. The gemsbok bumped an awkward kiss onto her cheek, making her giggle as he settled back down and leaving Bucky glowering at her from his spot. The room seemed to grow silent as her smaller paw reached out to give the bottle a spin.

Blood pounding in his ears, Nick felt his breath catch as the bottle continued to spin. And, after the longest fifteen seconds of his life, it stopped…

={}=

Jack had kept himself secluded in his apartment all day. While he did take the occasional break to pop downstairs for coffee or to check up on Skye (and try not to get sucked into all that was her) and the others, the rabbit buck stayed glued to his private kitchen. Jon had been diligent enough to have the cakes that were due baked off and frozen, ensuring they would be ready to decorate when Jack returned from Bunnyburrow.

Buttercream and fondant were piped and rolled, cake after cake decorated and assembled by the industrious bunny. After each completion, Jon was called up to help box and store the creations while they awaited pick up. The order fridge was filled to the brim with finished cakes of every size and for every species of mammal who called Zootopia home.

He was grateful Brooklynn had stolen Judy for the evening. And now, with the cafe empty and the lights switched off, Jack had migrated back downstairs to finish the last of his work. A change of scenery was always welcomed, especially when his back was aching from being hunched over for so long.

Blue colored buttercream was piped into a rose before it was carefully placed upon the medium sized cake he was finishing. The ivory creation was studded with edible pearls and white roses, the occasional blue adding a lovely splash of color to dessert. As engrossed as he was in his task, he was still surprised to hear the faint jingle of the bells on the front door.

"We're closed right now," he called absently, eyes still focused on his cake.

"For everyone?" came a familiar voice laced with amusement. "Or would you make an exception?"

Jack's head shot up, a smile playing on his muzzle as blue met blue. Heart beat picking up, Skye stood in the doorway. He watched her eyes fall to the cake in front of him.

"I think I can make an exception for you," he answered as she drew closer, her muzzle curling into a smile. "I figured you be out living it up by now."

"That was the plan," she joked with a laugh. One paw held up her purse. "But I forgot this under the register. I didn't realize until I tried to order dinner that it was here. I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

The buck shook his head as he looked at her. "Never." He kept his gaze on her as she came to stand by him, admiring the cake.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Jack felt pride blossom in his chest at the compliment.

"I have a lot of inspiration, lately."

The insides of her ears became slightly tinted with pink when she turned to look at him. Taking a step closer, she worried her lower lip with her teeth. A move the had Jack slowly draw in a breath to try and cool the flair of desire that flooded his veins.

"I feel like I barely saw you all day."

It was a whispered statement, one that he agreed with, even though he needed to be away from distractions and focus on his work. The physical toll it took on him to resist being pulled into Skye's orbit whenever he'd returned down stairs that day had been frustrating. So frustrating that he took it out on the cakes. Every ounce of it went into some of the most beautiful work he had ever created.

And if he had faith that he would be able to resist trying to seduce her, he would've asked her to help him bring each cake down.

"I know," he whispered back, eyes still drinking in her presence. Even in

plain yoga pants and a tee shirt, she still looked breathtaking. "I feel like I'm going through withdrawl from not seeing you…"

Her eyes turned to his, wide and hopeful, one paw moving hesitantly to cup his jaw. Both moved closer simultaneously, each holding a hungry look in their eyes. His own paws followed her lead, pulling her towards him as the tension between them snapped and lips met in fervor.

={}=

Nick wasn't sure what real life was any more.

Because real life was irritating and frustrating. Real life meant endless studying for good grades, being chased by the ZPD when he blew off steam, helpless anger, lots of noise, dizzying highs, and nauseating lows. Real life was messy.

This… This thing that was happening to him now…

Technically it could fall into the 'dizzying highs' category that came whenever he got what he really wanted. But he wasn't dizzy so much as he was light. Floating on air, an out of body experience, whatever the emotion was called, he didn't fully believe it was happening.

Is this real? he asked himself as the bottle stopped in front of him.

Eyes flicked up to find Judy's, hers resting on the still bottle briefly, before traveling up to meet his. She bit her bottom lip as she pushed herself from her spot and crossed the floor towards him. The sounds of the party fell away, the todd oblivious to the whispers surrounding him.

There was only Judy.

Weeks of seeing her jog around Zootopia, rehearsing speeches for when he finally caught her attention, imagining what it would be like to talk to her, to breath in her scent. Not to mention getting beaten up by her, arrested with her, and racing her around the ZPD obstacle course.

It all came down to this. Her small face leaning down over his and the firm pressure of her lips on his cheek. His nose was buried briefly into her neck, greedily inhaling what he could. The scent he had gotten his first lungful of barely a week ago, brought a rise of longing to his stomach that he didn't bother to tap down.

But she pulled away much too soon.

Dazed, he blinked at her, overjoyed to see the faint hints of a smile on her lips. And the fact that her ears were red with traces of the blush on her cheeks made it all the better. The whole situation made him want to jump for joy. Had someone not loudly cleared their throat, he most likely would have.

"Your turn, Nicky!" The forced chipper voice of Tabby broke him from his revery, startling him ever so slightly.

Her honey brown eyes went from him to Natasha, who was looking very disgruntled. With a nervous grin, he scrambled to the bottle as Judy rushed back to her spot, stroking her ears as they rested over her shoulder. The party mood lightened when the bottle landed on Finnick. Giggles resumed as the smaller fox scowled as Nick forced a grin onto his face.

"Try it and watch what happens!" Finn growled.

"Now, Finn," Nick lectured, "you know the rules!" And before anyone could say anything else, Finnick's ears were grabbed and a quick kiss was planted on his friend's forehead.

With a cry of disgust, one small paw went to swipe at the red fox, who released him to danced back and laughed. The game dissolved as the fennec chased his friend around, screaming insults at him and throwing potato chips. A lucky leap had Finnick landing on Nick's back, knocking him on to the floor.

"You ever kiss me again, I'll bite your face off!" Nick's ears were pulled back as he laughed his surrender. Finn hopped off and wandered away, muttering darkly under his breath.

Still laughing and high off the kiss he received, he pushed himself up onto elbows. The appearance of a familiar grey paw in front of him cut his amusement short. Green eyes blinked up into purple. Judy stood with a grin on her face, pulling him to his feet.

"Can't get enough, is that it, Carrots?" He asked smugly. The bunny doe rolled her eyes.

"Actually, your friend…. Dave? Is trying to wrangle others into a game of pool." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I was asked to rope you in."

Nick tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think I could go for a round of pool." With a satisfied smile, Judy turned to leave. "If-" her eyes snapped back to his, narrowed in confusion. "You wanna make it interesting."

"How interesting were you thinking?"

"Say I win- again I might add." Judy scoffed at that and frowned. "You have to…"

"I swear, Slick, if you tell me you want ice cream, I'm going to pummel you."

"Not quite what I have in mind," he responded with a grin. "I beat you in a game of pool, you give me another kiss." Her eyes widened at that. "On the lips."

Judy's mouth fell open and for one brief moment Nick panicked. He had meant to just leave it at a kiss on the cheek, forehead, paw, wherever she was willing to press her own lips to, really. 'On the lips' came out of his mouth of its own accord.

Fuck, he thought. Too far, too far!

But when her muzzle snapped closed and her arms folded again, she regarded him with a look so smug it rivaled his own.

"And if I win?"

"Dealer's choice." With another grin and a wink, he turned on his heel and headed to the pool table.

You got this, Wilde, he thought as he had a mental breakdown internally. You fucking got this.

={}=

Skye found herself gripping the front of Jack's shirt with one paw, while the other ran through the soft fur of his head. She felt his own cupping her jaw as their lips came together again and again. Tongues met cautiously at first, the slide of the other fueling the tension coiling in her stomach and feeding the need that grew to almost combustable proportions.

One leg wrapped itself around his, pulling him flush with her body. A paw left her face to grip her hip, as the other blindly went to the counter, no doubt to clear it off. The sudden thought of a wedding cake crashing to the floor in their sudden passion worked better than ice water to cool her down and put the brakes on the moment.

"Wait, wait, wait," she groaned, pulling back from him. He gasped and gave her a worried look.

"Sorry," he breathed, trying to control his panting. "Too far, too soon…"

With a laugh, she kissed him again, this time deeply, slowly, and more controlled. And was pleasantly surprised, once more, at how enjoyable it was. She had been worried that they wouldn't be able to, thanks to her long muzzle and sharp teeth. But somehow it worked.

"Can you imagine the faces of the bride and groom," she breathed pulling back again. His incoherent mumble at the loss of contact made her grin. "When they find out their cake was destroyed because the baker and his GM wanted to bang on the decorating table."

Another deep kiss, long and measured, with his paws roaming her figure to pull her as close as he could. She pushed at him, guiding him towards the table full of mixers, lowering her paws to the front button of his jeans as his slipped under her shirt. Skye shivered as blunt claws traced their way from her lower back, through silky fur, up further to unclasp her bra-

"I'm here!"

The sound of jingling bells and hurried pawsteps had them pushing away from each other in shock, disheveled clothes being rearranged back to their original positions. Skye had gotten his button undone and zipper down, which he was hurriedly trying to fix, while she tried reaching behind her to re-hook her bra clasp.

"So, so, so, sooooo sorry I'm late!" Jon came rushing into the kitchen, slightly windblown with his usual happy smile. He skidded to a stop at the sight of them, eyebrows raising in mild surprise. "I hope you weren't too bored waiting around for me."

The last bit spoken with an amused tilt to the raccoon's voice, his eyes moved from one to the other as he observed their shared blush. Skye gave up on trying to reach her bra clasp and settled for crossing her arms awkwardly as she turned to face him with an overly bright smile.

"Hey, Jon! What's up, buddy?"

Jon couldn't stop his eyes from flicking over to the front of Jack's jeans and the bulge he was trying to hide with a stray apron.

"What's up, indeed," the raccoon chuckled as Jack's ears dropped to hide their now crimson color, as Skye let out a nervous giggle. She looked to the floor, spotting her purse and its contents sprawled across the tiled floor.

"Oh!" She exclaimed with forced cheerfulness. "Here's my purse!"

"Let me help you with that!" She and Jack rushed to gather everything, shoving random bits back inside it before straightening and facing Jon again.

"Well, I have my purse! You know, the ONLY thing I came back for! The reason I stopped back in, so… Good night!"

Feeling as though her face was on fire, she bolted for the lobby, waving a quick good bye to both males. She heard the buck mutter a bashful farewell, causing her to turn and give him a longing smile that he returned. Jon just grinned knowingly as she practically ran away.

Paws fumbled to unlock and re-lock the front door, but once she was enveloped in the warmth of the Savanna Central night, she caught her breath. Rapidly rushing away from the cafe, she played the moment over and over in her head. And quickened her steps. With the taste of him still on her lips, she needed to do something to ease the rise of longing she felt.

Tomorrow can't get here fast enough, she thought.

={}=

Ok, there she is! A deep nervous breath was pulled in as he braced himself. Just go over there and tell her how pretty she looks tonight.

Gideon was standing by the entrance of the arcade, blue eyes on the pretty black sheep playing air hockey with her friends. He groaned with longing as she scored the winning point, jumping up and down in delight with her hooves in the air. The shirt she wore rode up slightly, showing off the soft wool underneath.

Emboldened, the todd took a determined step forward.

Only to let his nerves win out when she turned those big brown eyes to him. With a nervous squeal, he rushed back to his spot, hyperventilating slightly.

"You have got to be the most pathetic mammal in here right now."

The familiar, exasperated voice drew a scowl from him. Glancing over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes at Quentin. The tan buck merely smirked back and folded his arms, foot tapping impatiently.

"I can't just go over there and talk to her!" he argued. "There's a distinct possibility that she'll just laugh me out of here."

"Or there's also a possibility of her wanting to spend the evening talking to the awesome, charming, sweet, kind, and adorable fox I know you can be." The buck's face softened as Gideon turned to face his friend. "Gid, you're a good guy. No. You're a great guy."

"What if Sharla doesn't agree?" The question came out small, but Quentin merely shrugged and smiled sadly.

"Then maybe you don't marry this one." The buck put his paws on the todd's shoulders. "Now deep breath in." Both pulled in their breath, Gideon closing his eyes to calm himself. "Deep breath out."

The rabbit stepped behind the tall fox and gave him a push towards Sharla and her group.

"Now, go get her!"

Quentin watched as his friend stumbled with his first step before pulling himself together and marched over to the black sheep. Excitement pulled in the buck's stomach as her eyes watched the fox approach, the eagerness unmistakeable. He fist-pumped when whatever Gideon said had her nodding and grinning with delight as the two strolled off towards the Free Throw game.

"By gods, I'm good," Quentin said to himself, smug smile playing on his muzzle.

He scanned the room, half wondering if his date decided to show. Only to spot him at the pizza counter, carrying the large veggie pie to a table. The tri-colored buck grinned at him and gave a jerk of his head. Accepting the gesture, the two took their seats and smiled at each other from across the table.

Together, they ate and talked and laughed, each enjoying the other's company.

={}=

"I have over one hundred brothers and Jack and I play this game ALL THE

TIME!" groaned the bunny in defeat, covering her eyes as to avoid watching Nick sink in his last ball.

Hopping down from the stool he was perched on, he turned to look up at the bunny glowering at him with annoyance she didn't really feel. She jumped down from her own spot, passing the pool cues to Dave who was laughing at the show they were putting on.

"Don't feel too bad, Carrots, you put up one hell of a fight," he said with a smirk. He came to stand over her with raised eyebrows and crossed arms. "Whenever you're ready."

Judy took a deep breath and stood up straight. She angled her face to his and closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to meet hers and trying to ignore the excitement pooling in her stomach. She felt his arm slip around her, pulling her to him, but when he still hadn't leaned in, one eye opened in curiosity.

In his free paw was his phone, with Nick grinning down at the screen before looking down at her.

"Selfie," was the only thing he said as he turned the phone to reveal his camera ready to go.

"What?"

Confusion replaced her nerves as he leaned over her to grin at the screen, posing for the picture.

"Never on a bet, Carrots." He met her eyes, his grin slowly fading as he looked at her. "Selfie instead."

"Huh…" Her brow wrinkled as she considered his words, before shaking it off and turning to smile at the camera.

"You look really cute, by the way."

A shocked huff escaped her mouth as her head snapped to scowl at him just as he took the picture. With a laugh, he pulled his phone away to admire his handy work. Turning it back towards her, she felt indignation at the sight of him, looking sly and attractive, his eyes angled towards her, while her face was scrunched up in annoyance.

"That's a keeper," he declared.

Lifting her head back up to him, her most fearsome scowl etched on her face, all of her thoughts were driven away by his muzzle being sealed over hers. Her eyes widened in shock, paws snapped up but she wasn't sure if it was to push him away or pull him closer. His lips pressed against hers, obviously as inexperienced as her own, but before she could decide how to respond, they were gone.

Nick pulled back, meeting her shocked expression, but his face was unnervingly calm. The small, almost, smile on his muzzle was the only give away that he wasn't at all sorry for what he pulled off. With a wink, he turned and rushed off, leaving Judy gapping after him, still trying to process what had happened.

={}=

Natasha was furious. She had a very specific plan for how the night was supposed to go. Nick was supposed to take one look at her in her brand new, low cut jeans and belly top that her parents had banned her from ever wearing (but seriously, what did they know about fashion?) and the carefully done fur and make up and decide he needed to be with her.

Then they were supposed to fall in love this summer and be high school sweethearts. After graduation, they would get married and have kits and be millionaires. They would spend their wedding anniversaries reminiscing about the party their best friend Tabitha Peaks threw when they were thirteen and the spin the bottle game that brought them together. But no!

That stupid, horrible, awful, PLAIN, dumb bunny had to waltz in and steal her future mate. The vixen wasn't sure what made her angrier; knowing that Nick Wilde would never look at her the way he did that bunny or having to see him flirt and laugh with her before kissing her. And then walking away as if he was just told candy was essential for a healthy lifestyle.

Her eyes flashed dangerously over to where her competition stood. The bunny was staring slack jawed at the best looking todd in school while her tacky, too masculine-to-be-female friend urgently conversed with her. Even worse was the way he kept glancing back at her, as though he was planning on kissing her again.

"You know," came the surprisingly timid voice of the hostess. "Andrew Wiley has had his eye on you for a while now. And the coyote plays, like, seven instruments and is really funny and cute."

The vixen shook her head, her mind calculating as she stared at the bunny.

"Nick Wilde will be mine, Tab." She turned to smirk up at her friend. "Just wait. He will be mine."

={}=

"You've been avoiding me all night."

Brook had managed to gently pull her bunny friend away from her spot, still stunned by Nick's kiss, to the snack table. She had just twisted the top off a bottle of water when a familiar voice rang through her ears. Her stomach clenched and her teeth ground together.

Judy looked up at her curiously before turning to Dave. But the tigress kept her glare on the chip bowl, refusing to make eye contact.

"I was hoping you would show up. I tried to wave at you but you just ignored me." The wolf's ears were drooped against his head, eyes wide in confusion at the tigress' hostility.

"Surprised you even noticed." Both the bunny and wolf had their ears shoot up in shock at the venom in her voice. "So many females here, figured you wouldn't miss one not fawning over you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dave sounded confused and slightly hurt. The jolt of guilt Brook felt when she turned to face was him was surprising.

"N-nothing…" she said softly. "It doesn't mean anything." Taking a deep inhale and feeling a slight sting of tears, she darted for the staircase. "I gotta go!"

"Wait, Brook!" Dave's voice called after her. But the young tigress kept her pace up the stairs and out the door.

A hasty good bye was called to the surprised adults in the room upstairs, before she ran full hilt to the front door. Once she was in the safety of the warm night, standing just out of the porch light's glow, she burst into tears, her face buried in her paws.

The gentle touch on her leg had her gasping in shock. Looking down at Judy, her big eyes filled with concern, she knelt and opened her arms for a hug. Her smaller friend leaped onto her, soothingly stroking the back of her head, her arms unable to wrap any further around her friend's neck.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Judy whispered. Brook shook her head as the tears lessened.

"I don't even know why I'm crying." With a sniffle, she drew back, the bunny hopping back to the sidewalk, and dragged a paw across her face. "All I wanted to do these past few days is cry. And eat everything and anything sugary."

The last bit was said with a watery chuckle that the doe smiled understandingly at.

"Has your stomach been hurting?" she asked. She sighed at her friend's sad nod.

"Talk to your mom." Brook looked at her in confusion, but Judy merely held up a paw to keep her from arguing. "Trust me. She'll know what to do."

Turning to walk away, Judy gestured for her to follow. "C'mon. Let's get you home."

Brook nodded again and dutifully followed her friend, casting a glance back at the house they had just left. She still felt guilty for her reaction to Dave, knowing the wolf was just as thrown by her behavior as she was.

"I can't believe Nick kissed you," she said, trying to take her mind off her confusing emotions.

"Seriously. Who does he think is?"

"You know," Brook's voice became mischievous as she glanced down at the bunny. "We learn how to spar tomorrow."

"Reeeally…" An impish grin formed on Judy's face as she thought about the possibilities.

"Yup!" After a few minutes of walking, she just had to know. "Was it good?"

"Oh, gods, yes," Judy groaned.

"Nice."

With those words, the two friends fell in step with each other, each thinking about the male that shook up their night. In the most surprising of ways.

={}=

Nick and Finnick had listened to Dave's ramblings about Brook the whole car ride home. The red todd fared slightly better, most of his thoughts taken up by the feel Judy's lips against his and the sweet scent he craved to smell again. Finnick, however, had demanded his mother drop the wolf off first, a request that made her laugh. Dave was too preoccupied with his confusion to offer a comeback.

After he had said good night to the fennecs, the todd made his way through his apartment building in a daze. Finding his mother on the couch with Greg's head in her lap, both focused on the tv, he gave them a happy smile.

"Hey, sweetie," Vivian held out the paw that wasn't stroking her oldest son's ears and beckoned Nick to her. With a satisfied purr, she nuzzled his head as he snuggled into her, marking his ears. "How was the party?"

With a yawn, he looked at the screen without seeing, the image of his bunny still the only thing in his mind.

"Amazing."

Greg gave a tired laugh. "Good. Glad you had fun, little brother."

Nick watched tv for a bit with them before pulling himself up to get ready for bed. He stifled another yawn as he flicked his light switch on, giving a slight yelp of shock and leaping back.

Sitting on his bed was an army of stuffed rabbits. Each with various colored buttoned eyes and stitched, pink noses, dressed in a variety of ways, all turned to blankly stare at him at his bedroom door.

"What the the…" His confusion was cleared up at the sound of his mother and brother laughing from the couch. "Oh, ha ha! So fu- freaking funny."

Grumbling, he closed the door and started clearing off his bed. Each rabbit was lightly scoffed at as he pulled his old toy box forward to start stashing them.

"Where did she even find all of these?" One by one, they were tossed on top of his old action figures and games, some examined, others ignored.

Until he reached the last one.

His paw paused over it. Made from grey cloth with purple button eyes, it sat in a yellow dress, slightly flopped over and her- it's- ears crooked. With a shake of his head, he tossed her- it- on top of the others and put the toy box back.

Night shirt and boxers on, flicking the overhead light off, he crawled into bed and turned on his bedside lamp. A collection of comics were looked over, his brain debating on Hereafter versus The Masked Fox, when his eyes flicked back over to the toy box. He had no idea what he'd decided on when he leaned back and opened it to the first page.

But he hadn't even read the first panel before his eyes went back across the room.

Comic set aside, he tiptoed over and opened the lid. Looking down at the little toy rabbit, he scooped her- it- up and crept back to bed. Laying against the pillow, he held her- i…- up for examination. One claw traced the buttons before running his thumb over the stitched nose.

And with a smile, he pulled her to his chest, before turning over and falling asleep.

={}=

The Peaks house was dark and quiet. The party ended a few hours ago, the younger crowd having gotten rides or, in a few cases, changed into pajamas and crowded into Tabby's room for the night. With Mrs. Peaks promising pancakes and pastries from this place called the Savanna Central Perk, it didn't take much for the group of teenaged females to settle down and call it a night.

And that made it easier for the smallest guest to ease her way from her friend's room, to the kitchen. Eyes well equipped for seeing at night, she unlocked her phone once she reached her destination, scrolling through her contacts until she found the one she wanted.

"Hey," Natasha whispered. "I need a favor…"

={}=

A/n: Shout to my friends, SacraMedn and Cimar Wilde-Hopps. Their series', Hereafter and The Masked Fox respectfully, are two of Nick's favorite comics. And two of mine in the fandom.


	10. Bust A Move Pt 1

"Just call him…"

A deep breath was taken as her phone was unlocked. Selecting her contacts, they were thumbed through until his name popped up. She hesitated a bit looking at the name. Butterflies formed in her stomach, making the cramps she was dealing with even worse.

"Hey, Dave! I'm so sorry I've been a jerk lately. I'm just going through some… stuff, and didn't mean to take it out on you."

Brook stared at his name.

Just call him, she thought. Just call him…

The home button was pressed, erasing his name from the screen.

"Later," she said to herself. "I'll call him later."

…

"The male sex organs are divided into three parts."

Murmurs and giggles around the classroom became slightly more uncontrolled as the video switched to a display of canine genitalia. Its cartoonish design was more detailed than Nick felt it should be, displaying full frontal and from each side. The females of the class audibly speculated about the males surrounding them, a pair of them grinning coyly in his direction.

Nick groaned in embarrassment as he buried his muzzle in his paws as the narrator carried on.

"The bulbus glandus becomes locked inside the female during ejaculation. This helps insure pregnancy, as well as helps build the emotional bond between mates."

Wheezing laughter came from the chubby coyote sitting next to him as the video went on about body changes and hygiene.

"I bet mine is bigger than the others here," he whispered to the fox with a grin after he composed himself.

Rolling his eyes, Nick refused to look over at his desk mate, shaking his head at the crass comment. Unable to watch the video anymore, his gaze flicked around the darkened room. He saw most of the kits in class with him were foxes, with a few wolves and other canines thrown in.

Soon the video ended and the instructor flipped the lights back on, a collective groan coming from light sensitive group. The she-wolf beamed around at the dazed youths, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Any questions?" she asked cheerfully.

A few paws were lifted into the air, one young wolf being selected.

"Does knotting hurt?" she asked.

"Generally, it does the first time." The females of the class winced. "But, as with sex itself, the discomfort and pain will fade the more you and your mate do it."

Another female raised her paw, this one a vixen.

"Do you have to wait to get married before having sex?"

"That is something you and your parents should discuss, but I do encourage you to wait until marriage before you do. Yes, Mr. Wilde?"

"What about interspeices relationships? Would it be possible to mate with someone who isn't a canine?" The giggles that followed the question caused the todd's ears to flatten as he looked around uncertainly. Surprisingly, one young vixen was silent, her eyes moving back to the teacher in obvious curiosity.

"Mr. Wilde, the point of intercourse is reproduction," the she-wolf explained, her condescending tone causing both him and the vixen to frown at her. "If you can't reproduce with your partner, then there's no point in mating with them."

The vixen's paw shot in the air, a scowl curling her muzzle. "My sister is unable to have kits. Should she and her husband not bother mating?"

Her voice was rude and aggressive, causing the wolf to falter a bit before straightening.

"As tragic as that is for your sister, what I meant is mammals were meant to stay within their own species. Can you imagine what would happen to the fox population if every fox in here decided to mate with someone not their own species?"

"Oh, my gods!" cried Nick, bringing his paws to his face. "Harmony might be achieved!"

The vixen who had spoken up was the only one who laughed. Both teens exchanged smirks at the wolf's baffled expression. Her eyes flicked up at the clock, before landing back onto Nick. With a slightly steely look, she clapped her paws as she gave him a strained smile.

"And, on that note, we'll stop here for the day."

The low hum the other students gathering their things and shuffling out the door was ignored as Nick glowered at the teacher. Leaflets and work sheets in paw, he stood and trudged to the door. The class had been held in a small classroom just outside the lobby of the hospital, so Nick had a clear view of the receptionist desk.

The hippo behind the counter smiled at him as he approached.

"Hey, Nicky." She flicked through a few sheets of paper, before pausing at one and handing it to him. "Your mom's is assisting with surgery right now, but she told me to give you this."

Waving him off as he finished reading his chore list, Nick headed for the double doors, still thinking about what the teacher had said. If the others had been so against interspecies relationships, how would they react if a predator and prey got together. His mother made it clear that she didn't mind, his brother couldn't care less, and Skye had no room to talk.

But Judy….

Asking her out would make her vulnerable to abuse and ridicule. If she even agreed. After the kiss he surprised her with, part of him wasn't looking forward to camp that afternoon. There was a slight possibility that the shock of his surprise move had turn into very real anger she might take out on him.

Though he was pretty sure her brother would at least be reasonable. Or, at the very least, understanding.

Stepping into the warm mid-morning sun, he caught a glance of the vixen from class. His ears picked up with interest as he watch a kudu doe wrap her arm around the vixen's waist and rest her head on her shoulder. The two waited at a crosswalk, giggling and snuggling with each other, oblivious to the glares and stares they received.

"Star night…" He muttered absently.

He smiled more to himself than anything else as he watched the pair walk away together. An image of him and Judy laying on their backs, side by side, gazing at the stars projected onto the ceiling of the Natural History Museum came to his mind. Without a doubt, she would be angry at him for stealing a kiss, but with enough tenacity, he could probably win her over.

And get her to agree on a date with him.

….

Jack noticed something different about Judy this morning. She seemed distant, her responses to his questions and quips were vague, and her eyes kept flicking over to the cafe door. The striped buck had exchanged a few confused looks with Bobby, Kari, and Sandra.

Though Jon simply smirked.

Jack had too been distracted from his interlude with Skye to notice how peculiar his little sister was acting when she arrived home the night before. A distracted greeting was given when she entered the cafe and practically floated upstairs. Jon had noted the dazed look on her face, how it nearly mirrored her brother's, and laughed. Now, the following morning, the raccoon was having a blast watching his bosses make moon eyes at each other while Judy monitored the front door with increasingly obvious disappointment.

"Our little doe looks a bit lost, eh, Skye?" Jon nudged her with his elbow as they watched Judy move from table to table listlessly. The vixen simply shook her head at him and smiled.

Every jingle of the bell had Judy turning in the direction of the door. Ears popped up in excitement, only to fall when she got a look at who entered. Jon picked up on the fact that the new comers were older than thirteen and not red fox todds.

Jack, however, was completely baffled by her behavior.

The raccoon concluded he was either ear deep in denial or just truly clueless.

"Judy, Bun-bun, are you feeling ok?" Concerned blue eyes watched as she trudged around the corner with a bus tub in her arms. He stretched a paw out to press to her forehead, as she leaned away from him. "You've been acting odd all day. Sweetheart, are you sick?"

"I'm fine, Jack," she ducked past him towards the kitchen. "I'm just… thinking… about camp…"

She flashed him an unconvincing smile, the sight of which had Skye and Jon withholding snickers.

"Oh, yes," agreed the vixen. "Camp. Very distracting."

She grinned and winked at the doe, who blushed and hurried away. Jack turned to give Skye a puzzled look. She simply shook her head and turned back to the register.

"I'm seriously worried," he said as he leaned back against the counter next to her, arms crossed as he watched Judy absently straighten up the kitchen. "She usually has, like, seven million complaints by now. And yet, she barely said more than a few words to me."

"It's just a crush, Jack." Skye smiled as she counted out change and passed it to a mother beaver juggling her coffee, treats, and twins. "You just have to let it run its course."

"…Crush?!"

Jon had been taking a sip of his water, only to choke on it at the sight of Jack's horrified expression. Amidst the giggles of his workers, the striped buck narrowed his gaze at his sister's back before turning to the vixen.

"What do you mean 'crush'?"

With a roll of her eyes, Skye patiently cleared her throat and explained it to him.

"Jack, remember when I told you my brother had the hots for your little sister?"

The buck's ears flushed a bit as he nodded sheepishly. "Well, it's entirely possible it's not all one sided."

Still gasping for breath, Jon put a companionable arm around his boss.

"Listen," he started after clearing his throat, "Judy's growing up. And part of growing up is her starting to figure out what she's attracted to. Hence, she now has a crush."

"But…" Jack's voice quivered a bit as he looked at the raccoon, who fell away from him with a sympathetic smile. "She's my little Bun-

Bun…."

"Oh, Jack." Skye linked her arm in his, her free paw coming up to give his a comforting pat. Tugging him away from the group congregating around the registers, she lead him back to the kitchen. Judy's ears were down, her focus obviously not on the pile of dishes she was sorting through.

"You have four clients coming in today, including Fru Fru Big, who'll be here in twenty minutes. So, let's put a pin in this and focus on work. Afterwards, we can brush each other's fur and sob about how quickly time flies."

A wave of affection came over her as he gave another sad glance at the doe before he nodded and set about preparing his cake samples. Wanting to ease his concerns, she leaned into him, causing the buck to inhale sharply.

"And if you're good," she continued, lowing her muzzle to speak softly into his ear. "And things go well today, we can continue our little… 'discussion' from last night."

Jack's ears popped up at that, his eyes snapping to her. He blushed and smiled when she winked at him before turning to leave the kitchen.

"Oh, and an Emma Longrass called. She was confirming an appointment with you today," Skye added before she turned back towards the lobby only to be halted by her boss.

"Actually, I told her the appointment was with you." Jack replied.

"Oooooohhhhh, Jack…" The vixen whined and turned big blue eyes to him, making him smile. "Do I hafta?"

"I wonder if she'll do that whipped cream thing again."

Both turned to look at Judy in surprise as she loaded the cart with clean dishes. Skye narrowed her eyes at the doe before turning back to a stricken looking Jack.

"WHAT whipped cream thing?" Skye demanded.

"You know," Judy continued, cutting off her brother's attempts to appease the vixen. "The move where you dip your finger into your whipped cream and then lick it off. And never take your eyes off the mammal you're doing it in front of."

The last mug was loaded up before the younger rabbit started pushing towards the coffee bar.

"Just curious to know if she'll do it to you again, Jack." She pushed past the adults, calling over her shoulder as she went. "Let me know!"

Their gazes turned back to each other, Jack looking horrified, Skye looking accusing.

"Kits…" He said with a forced laugh. "They say the darnedest things."

"That they do." Skye crossed her arms and tapped her foot waiting for Jack to explain.

"She's an old class mate who said she can get us a discount on advertising. That's why I scheduled her appointment with you…" His ears dropped as he looked at her. "Just so she knows she doesn't stand a chance."

"Who?" asked Sandra as she went to the order fridge.

"Emma Longrass," spat Skye, still scowling at the idea of another trying to seduce her buck. Sandra's face gave her reason to pause though.

"Oh, my gods," she exclaimed with a laugh. "Are you really jealous of that doe? I've bought milk that lasts longer than her interest in a buck. Seriously, Skye, dangle a semi attractive hobo in front of her and Jack will be ancient history."

"You know her?"

"She dated three of my brothers…" Sandra's face went dark for a moment. "At the same time." With a snort, Sandra returned back to the lobby with the order she was looking for.

"Little slut…" Skye heard Sandra mutter under her breath as she walked back to the lobby.

"Skye," Jack's hesitant voice brought her attention back to him, his big blue eyes almost pleading with her. "Please…" He took a step forward, terrified she was going to step away from him.

The petty part of her was more than tempted.

"I have zero interest in her. The only reason I set up anything at all is because her company is the one of the best ad agencies in Zootopia. And if there's anyone who can put her in her place, it would be you."

The vixen narrowed her eyes at the buck.

"What is this, Jack?"

The buck took another step closer to her, a paw going to her face to brush the soft fur of her cheek. Her gaze didn't soften, making his stomach drop, though the brush of her tail across his feet filled him with hope. Casting a quick look out the order window- and the several pairs of ears turned to the conversation- the buck stepped forward.

"This is something that has the potential to be real." He slid his paw from her muzzle to take hers, running a thumb over her pads as he raised them, before bringing them to his face.

His lips pressed into them as he breathed in the scent of peony and amber that always seemed to cling to her. His eyes closed as she gave in and brushed the fine fur of his muzzle, making him breath deep before opening them again. The slight smile she wore made him unreasonably happy and relieved.

"I want this, Skye," he muttered. "I'll call her back and cancel if you want. You're the one I want and the one can't stop thinking about. No one has ever pulled a reaction out of me quite like you."

"That's true!" called out Judy and Sandra.

Skye laughed at that, before stepping close enough to nuzzle the top of Jack's head.

"Make those samples, mister."

She suddenly pulled away, turning quickly to head back to the lobby, letting her tail drag over his front as she went. A sultry smile was sent over her shoulder at the buck's groan of disappointment.

Pausing by the doorway, she tipped him a wink. "I have a meeting I need to prepare for."

…..

Dave looked down at his friend. They were both back by the precinct obstacle course, stretching as they waited for the other junior cadets to show up. Nick's eyes were once again trained on the entrance, his tail gently thumping against the ground with nerves. Ordinarily he would have had a lot of fun tormenting the todd, especially after seeing him steal a kiss from Judy.

But Brook's odd behavior was still bothering him. He had messaged her when he got home, several times actually, only to be ignored. With Nick preoccupied, Dave wasn't quite sure how to approach the situation. When the todd suddenly stilled, brown eyes looked over at the approaching bunny. Sans tigress, much to his dismay.

A calculating smirk was sent their way as Judy took up a spot to stretch. She didn't need to look up as the two males approached, her ears perking at the sound of their paw steps.

"Ready for today, Wilde?"

"Oh, you know it, Hopps." Nick bent to touch his toes, grinning over at her. "I can't wait to add sparring to the list of things I beat you at."

"Don't count your carrots," she remarked, straightening up and putting paws on her hips. "After all, I distinctly remember being able to whip your tail in the park."

"You got lucky, bunny." Nick stood to his full height and copied her pose.

"Did I?" The todd gave a sharp inhale when she stepped closer to him, ears folding forward and eyes wide as she batted her lashes at him. "If that's the case, then if you win, I'll give you a surprise. I win, you knock a day off the ice cream bet."

Green eyes twinkled mischievously, his tail wagging so fast it thumped hard enough against Dave's leg that the wolf felt a small bruise form.

"Done!" Paws shook, both mammals grinning at the image of their own victory over the other. "Sooo… What kind of surprise?"

With a quirk of her brows, the bunny turned away and resumed her stretching, her back turned to the pair of them.

"Guess you'll just have to see…" she said in a sing song voice.

Nick shifted uncomfortably, his gaze resting on her and all the stretches she was doing, before he suddenly took off, mumbling about the bathroom.

"What was that all about?" Judy asked in surprise, staring after him. She gave

Dave a speculative glance which he returned with a helpless shrug. "Brook said she's going to be late, by the way."

"Oh…" He lowered his eyes to the ground, gathering his nerves as she went back to her task. "Hey, Judy?"

The rabbit looked up from her stretches again, eyes filled with curiosity.

"Is Brook ok?" His feet shuffled as he looked down at them, ears back and tail dragging. "I mean, is there anything I did to make her hate me?"

Judy smiled kindly at him as she shook her head. "That's something you're

going to need to ask her. But she'll be ok. She's just feeling… sensitive…. right now."

Dave opened his mouth to respond only to be cut off by a smooth voice.

"Excuse me."

Both teenagers turned in surprise at the new comer. Standing just a bit shorter than Nick was marble fox. His fur was a bit longer than the red todd's, though impeccably kept. Snowy white ran up his arms, disappearing into a blue t-shirt.

Grey and black sprinkled from the top of his head to his ears, he viewed the world with golden brown eyes and an obscenely confident smile.

The Zootropolis accent didn't make Dave feel any better about him.

"Hi! I'm new to Zootopia." A paw stretched out to the doe, his eyes lit upon her.

"I'm Kody Marmoreal."

"Oh, um, hi! I'm Judy. Judy Hopps." Her small paw became enveloped in his, a small 'meep' escaping her as he raised it slowly. Brown eyes became half lidded in tender look as he smiled softly.

"Hmmmm." He paused with her paw close to his muzzle, a slight purr of approval rumbling out. "What a pretty name, for a pretty doe."

Dave's own eyes narrowed at Kody, watching him make moves on his best friend's female, a growl almost escaping him as a kiss was pressed to the back of her paw. Movement from his peripheral caused him to glance at Nick coming back from the bathroom. Panic filled him as his friend stopped in his tracks, the other todd zeroing in on Judy and Kody.

Green eyes filled with hostility as his fur puffed up in agitation. The wolf was surprised at the speed displayed as Nick moved towards the trio, coming to rest beside the bunny as her paw was released. Kody's eyes flicked to him before refocusing back on Judy, nose flaring to take in her scent.

"So, Judy, I'm looking for a tour guide to show me around the city." The other two males tried not to scoff as he smiled down at her. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who's interested. Do you?"

"Oh, well I-" Judy's words were interrupted by Nick, who took a step forward to put himself between his crush and the new todd.

"Actually, she does." A paw was thrusted towards the intruder, a look of contempt barely masked with a strained grin. "Nick Wilde. No one knows this city better than me."

"Is that right?" Paw accepted, Dave had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as the two todds tried to out grip the other. "Well, I'm sure there's nothing better for helping your geography than exploring your surroundings."

Their limbs were obviously aching when they let go, both refused to show any discomfort or pain. Judy looked up to Dave, who merely shrugged.

"If the lovely lady is up to the task," Kody continued as he smiled down at her again.

This time neither male watching the exchange bothered keeping in their growls.

The new todd barely spared them a glance, keeping his gaze on the blushing bunny.

Judy opened her mouth to respond before catching sight of Brook. With her head down and shoulders slumped, the tigress was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible as she crept to the group waiting for their instructor.

Still blushing, Judy mumbled an apology as she excused herself. With a small smile to Nick, the bunny darted over to her friend, leaving the wolf with two very riled up foxes.

"What do you think you doing, fox?" Nick's eyes burned into his competition's.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." With a smirk, Kody followed after the doe as Chief Pride walked in.

The polar bear who lead the camp last time was right behind him, bags filled with boxing gloves and other gear thrown over their shoulders.

"Line up, campers!" Her voice cut the idle chit chat from the youths as they scrambled for their spots.

A low growl came from Nick as they both watched Kody take a spot next to Judy and Brook. Something was said to the tigress that brought the first smile Dave had seen in while to her muzzle. Jealousy bloomed in his chest as she ducked her head at the obvious compliment, whatever it may have been.

"Asshole," he breathed, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed at the new todd making the two females giggle.

….

Words didn't properly describe the emotion Sandra felt when Emma Longrass walked in. Mostly because it was an intense combination. Anger was, of course, the front runner. With memories of her brothers brawling in the front yard of her childhood home back in Bunnyburrow while Emma watched with glee, anger ran hot in her veins.

There was also annoyance and aggression, mostly out of loyalty to Skye. Her new boss may have only been a week into the gig, but Sandra was an admirer of anyone who could make Jack not think about work. It was why she loved having Judy around. Anything for him to remember there was life outside of the kitchen. And the fact that the buck hadn't been on a date the entire time she had worked for him made her respect for the vixen grow.

It took a lot for a female to catch his attention.

Jealousy was a bit of a surprise as the shorter, cream colored doe watched those long, trim legs glide towards the counter. Accentuated by a plaid, pleated skirt and white button down, the matching blazer adding a professional look to her.

Sandra couldn't help but glared at the physically perfect bunny doe coming towards the register.

"My, my," the words came out as a humored drawl, with just enough country twang still in it to awaken Sandra's lust, much to her embarrassment. "If it isn't little Sandy Cotintale. You grew up!"

Emma pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to give a critical glance at Sandra. "Or should I say, out?"

Those last words were followed by a small laugh at her own joke. The other bunny doe felt her unwanted attraction vanish as she gritted her teeth to keep from replying. He may not have liked her, but Jack would be furious if Sandra rose to the bait. And she respected her boss enough to act better than the two-timing slut in front of her.

Sunglasses were removed fully and folded, the stem of them hooked onto the front of her shirt. Hazel eyes glanced around the cafe as arms crossed.

"Where's Jack? I have an appointment with him at one-thirty."

"Actually," came a voice as sweet as sugar from the lobby.

Both does looked up to see Skye walking towards them, a devil may care smirk on her muzzle. Sandra had been so distracted with the register, she hadn't noticed Fru Fru Big being settled onto a table with her fiancé, courtesy of Jack. She smirked back at her boss as the vixen's paw trailed over the shoulders of the seated rabbit buck. He looked up at her as she passed, an expression of longing on his face, before returning to his appointment. If the shrew couple minded, their grins were the best act Sandra had ever seen.

"Your appointment is with me."

Kari paused with a bus bucket on her hip in the middle of the lobby as Bobby leaned back against the wall with a look of anticipation. Jon could be seen peeking through the order window in curiosity, his own appointment due to show up any moment. Sandra herself merely crossed her arms as the two females sized each other up.

Emma had tensed at the sight of the fox, her ears dropping briefly before rising again. Her look of distaste as she took in the gorgeous vixen made a snicker of delight work its way from Sandra's belly. Her joy only grew at the scowl Emma sent her. The new doe flinched as Skye stepped forward and extended her paw to her, claws casually extended.

"Skye Wilde."

The vixen's smile was enough to rot teeth. Blue eyes never left the doe's face as she took in Skye's trim form, from the well-worn jeans to the professional black button-down. Casually dressed as she was, Skye could have worn a potato sack and make it seem like the next big trend. Emma's eyes flared with jealousy when they came to rest back on the vixen's face.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilde-"

"It's miss, darlin'." Tipping a wink to her, Skye turned with a swish of her tail and headed over to a table in the corner opposite Jack and Fru Fru. "You comin'?"

There was a strange sound that echoed around the cafe. Multiple pairs of eyes were pulled from what they were focused on to the bunny behind the counter.

Sandra had attempted to curtail the gleeful laughter that spilled over. Deciding to cover it with a cough, the results were a loud squeak that drew everyone's attention.

Though a bit red in the ears, she didn't look the least bit sorry for it.

Skye simply smirked and kept her gaze on Emma. The other doe gave Sandra a final glare and took a seat opposite of the vixen. Hazel met blue, cold dislike met warm amusement, the two females considered each other for a heartbeat before Emma cleared her throat and started her pitch.

"Ten bucks says Skye gets hot coffee splashed in her face," whispered Kari to her coworkers, the bus tub being taken by Jon.

"I got twenty that says she makes her cry before the cops are called," countered Bobby.

"Fifty to them both being arrested," added Jon.

"Let the games begin," replied Sandra, watching as the two females converse.

….

"Now, Hopps," Nick grinned at her, watching as she gave some experimental jabs with the gloves on. "Don't expect me to go easy on you, just because you're a cute, little bunny."

She sent a glare his way, which caused him to grin as she gave a series of hops, shaking out the tension from her arms. A smile curled her lips as she slowed her warm up. With a grin of her own, she readied her stance and focused on him.

"Please don't. I like a challenge." She winked at him, earning a speculative eyebrow raise from the todd.

Their warm up run had been uneventful, aside from the fact that Nick found himself running next to Kody a majority of the time. The new todd's eyes had been focused on Judy's tail, much to Nick's annoyance. Never mind the fact Nick himself had a hard time focusing on anything other than that. That was beside the point. And it was nothing an 'accidental' elbow jab couldn't cure.

"Now remember! You're not trying to hurt each other!" Major Friedkin gave slightly worried look between the pair.

The others had been put with mammals closely matching their weight classes, but Judy had hopped right up to Nick, shoving a pair of gloves into his chest before leading him to a mat. A move that delighted him, seeing as Daniel Woods and that new show off, Kody, were completely disregarded as challengers. The sweet smile she had sent over her shoulder had him hurrying after her.

And the swift side step she had given Daniel had Nick sending the woodchuck a smug look of triumph as he snapped his gear on. Friedkin had only showed them basic defense, nothing more complicated than blocks and dodges. But while she knew Nick and what his dad had taught him, a sit in at an old friend's youth boxing class had shown her what the bunny could do.

"Just jab and block!" Friedkin looked from one to the other. "Jab. And. Block."

And with that, she stepped back.

Nick waited for her to move in. Braced and ready, he bounced slightly in anticipation before giving into impatience. His first step forward, she made her move. It happened so quick, he wasn't even sure what hit him. Extending his arm to jab at her, she had easily dodged it, ducking under it before hooking her foot around his knee.

His leg flew out from under him before he had a chance to act on the movement. Sprawled out on the mat, staring up at the sky, he gave a light groan as he pushed himself up to look over at her. She bounced on the other side of the mat, small smirk on her muzzle, as they met eyes.

"Now, Slick," she lectured, putting gloved paws on her hips. "You promised not to go easy on me."

Her head tilted in a playful challenge, she resumed her bouncing as he scrambled to his feet and charged. Only to get knocked back down again. She dodged his forward attack, one foot strategically placed to insure he would stumble over it, his outstretched arm was once more grabbed. He had used more force opening jars for his mother than what Judy used to flip him onto his back.

"Oh, by the way," came her amused voice, cutting through his daze. She grinned as he sat up and looked to her. "My Uncle Terry is the March Hare."

"The boxer?" Nick asked as he scrambled back up, his eyes much warier.

"Yup." The doe grinned as he gulped.

The rest of the class was a bit fuzzy for the fox. While in reality, the sparring had only lasted twenty minutes, tops, Nick felt like he spent hours being thrown around by the light weight champion's niece. Most of the class had stopped their own rounds to watch the pair duke it out, Daniel and the new jerk face, Kody, loudly jeering whenever Judy landed a jab or flipped him.

At the end of it, though, once their instructor had her fill of his many humiliations, Judy tugged the gloves off and reached down to Nick. Smiling, she helped him to his feet, before shaking his paw. She gave a slight tsk before frowning at the slightly aching todd.

"What?" he asked, with raised eyebrows as he stretched out the stiffness forming.

"I never won a fight with such little effort," she said. "And one day down, four more to go!"

At that Nick raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Our bet." Her face dripped smug as she eyed him. "I won, so only four days left in the ice cream bet."

"Carrots, there are seven days in the week."

"But business days are five."

"Are we conducting business? No, no we are not."

"Oh," she responded, her ears and eyes dropping as she pulled her gloves to her chest. Taking a step closer to him, she looked up into his eyes, his muzzle falling open as he tried to remember to speak. "And here I thought you were all business. Well, I guess I can live with six days. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to knock some more off this little wager."

She stepped back, her face suddenly smiling sweetly up at him, before bouncing away. Muzzle still open, he barely noticed Dave coming up beside him.

"I let her win," he said, watching her go.

"Sure you did," agreed Dave with a nod.

"Really!" he insisted.

"I believe you."

The two males grinned at each other, before turning back to where Judy stood, her gloves being handed over to the instructor. Their expressions grew darker as

Kody came to stand beside her. Nick's blood boiled as the todd reached over to smooth a mussed patch of fur on her head, watching his paw linger much longer than necessary.

Even worse was the blush that spread across her ears as they perked towards someone who wasn't him.

"I swear, Wilde, I did not spend the last six months watching you drool and pine over this doe only to have you let her get scooped up by some douche." Dave bent over him and gave an irritated growl. "Make. Your. Move!"

He suddenly strode away, casting one last scowl at the fox as he did. Nick frowned after him, watching as he tried to catch up with Brook… Only to get rebuffed. She saw him coming and very obviously quickened her steps towards the exit to out run and avoid him.

Seeing his friend's confused look made Nick feel slightly better. Added to that were the dark looks Daniel Woods was sending his way, jealous that Judy didn't even spare him a glance. Only to have it vanish when he realized Judy was still walking with… with…

HIM.

That's it, he thought as he watched them leave together. I'm asking her out.

TONIGHT.

….

"Well?"

Kody had turned the corner away from the precinct, after saying goodbye to Judy, when the voice popped up over his shoulder. Without turning around or slowing, he smirked as his cousin came up beside him.

"I got this in the bag." He cast her a glance, noting her pleased expression.

"Another day or so, and she'll forget about your boyfriend. Then you can settle for being his second choice."

Natasha scowled at him.

"I'm not going to be his second choice!" she hissed back. "I'm just going to remind him what he's interested in. And let you worry about perverting yourself by dating outside your species."

"Honey, when they're as hot as her, I can take the hit." Kody's expression darkened as they walked. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you so focused on Wilde anyway?"

"You think I'm going to pass up the chance to date Matt Wilde's kit? Do you know how much more popular I'll be if we're seen together?" She smirked to herself at the thought of the fame she might get for dating Nick Wilde. "The Wildes are one of the most respected fox families in the city and I plan on becoming part of it. Once that stupid rabbit is out of the picture, it should be cake getting him to go out with me."

Kody shook his head at his cousin as they walked.

"Tasha, you are an ice queen."

With a sly wink, she nodded. "Proud of it, babe."

….

Judy walked into an odd scene when she returned to the cafe. She was expecting it to be quiet, like it normally was on Saturdays. Had expected the usual Saturday crowd, sitting at their computers, tapping away as they enjoyed coffee and the treats The Perk was now known for. Saturdays were usually easy and slow.

This was a mad house.

There was a line out the door, each mammal eagerly trying to look over the heads of the ones in front of them. A few hippos, rhinos, and elephants waited outside, their bodies much too big to squeeze through the door. Their faces lit up when the smaller mammals they had sent inside came out with their snacks.

Judy shook her head in amazement before braving the crowd. Extra paws had been called in, mammals Jack kept on the payroll for days like this. Though they normally worked around Christmas time. The doe herself braced to jump into the mix where ever she was needed. A quick glance around found her brother taking notes from a small shrew couple as they sampled bits of cake. Jon was doing the same with a cheetah couple, who were eagerly taking in the scene through mouthfuls Furench silk.

Tying on the apron Sandra had tossed to her, the young doe turned from her brother and his assistant to another scene that made her happier than a busy cafe: Emma Longrass sitting in silent fury across from Skye. The vixen held paperwork in her paws, each page carelessly flipped through with red pen. With a smirk as smug as Nick's, she pointed out something to the doe and shook her head before crossing it out and scribbling in the margins.

With a light laugh, Judy couldn't resist hopping over under the pretense of clearing the table.

"No, no! This here?" Skye turned the paper she was looking at towards the doe.

"Definitely does not work for us. This market is completely antipredator, not to mention they aren't big on caffeine. What's the point of advertising a coffee shop in a place that doesn't enjoy caffeine?"

Judy heard Emma grind her teeth through a strained smile. "Of course. We can always switch out that for the university."

"All of them." Skye flicked the page as she shot the doe a grin. "You can accomplish that, right, Ms. Longrass?"

"Of course, Ms. Wilde."

With a giggle, Judy turned away and headed over to her brother's table. She paused in front of it, collecting the small stack of tiny plates and cutlery as the shrew couple described their dream cake.

"Oh my god," drawled the female, her eyes as wide as her grin. "We have to get the red velvet with cream cheese frosting and pink buttercream roses. It will be to die for!"

"Popular choice," agreed Jack, pulling a color sample from his notes. "These are the pinks I recommend and I just need to know how many tiers."

"Well, we're keeping it intimate, so there's really only going to be around fifty guests, mostly our families. Majority of the party will be shrews." The female mused out loud, twirling her long hair in her paws.

"Dearest, don't forget the bears," interjected the male as he placed a comforting paw on his fiancée's arm. "Your father would be hurt if we forgot to include them in this decision."

"Drat it!" Her brows furrowed again. One hind paw tapped the table impatiently as she did the math in her head. "How much cake is that?"

"I would do one, two layered shrew sized red velvet and the other a large, single layered white cake with lemon filling."

The couple and Jack looked up at Judy, who froze at their bewildered expressions.

Her muzzle opened and closed before clearing her throat.

"It's just," she continued nervously. "The shrew size my brother makes is more than enough for each guest to have seconds and still leave the top for your one-year anniversary. And red velvet is a popular flavor for weddings and white cake a classic stand by for those who aren't fans. Not to mention, Jack's lemon filling has been named best in Zootopia. It's the same filling that's in the lemon tart up front."

Silence followed the doe's rambling, making her wish she had never opened her mouth.

"Oh. My. Gawd!" shrieked the little female. "That's poifect!" Her paws flipped through the binder of notes next to her. "OH! You are a freaking genius! Jackie, please tell me you can pull off something like this?"

A piece of paper was pulled free, its small size making Jack reach for his magnifying glass to view it. The surprisingly tasteful groom's cake design made the buck nod in satisfaction.

"Done and done!" he said with smile, lowering the glass and noting the account.

"All I need now is the date and you'll be all set."

The little shrew nodded excitedly at him before beaming up at Judy again.

"Thank you so much for that!" she squeaked, holding a paw out to her. "You are a life savior!"

Judy blushed and smiled back, accepting her paw.

"Love your hair," she managed to say. The shrew's expression melted into look of pure joy.

"Aww! Thank you!" Judy grinned and walked away catching Skye's eye as she did.

Skye winked at her before turning back to Emma. Still looking as though she was trying to hide her irritation, the doe finished packing up her paperwork and stood. Escorting her to the door coincided with Jack walking the shrews out, each one perched on a shoulder. The female was jabbering in his ear about her final notes regarding her cake while her fiancée smiled on in contentment.

Emma pulled her attention from her own host to give Jack another sultry grin.

Waiting until both shrews were passed onto the polar bear waiting just outside the door, the rabbit doe reached a paw to grasp the front of his shirt. Ears went up in shock as he was pulled towards her, Emma's compact body pressed up against his.

"I think you may owe me dinner, Jack," she said coyly, mistaking the buck's blush for one of pleasure not mortification.

"I a-actually have plans for the evening," he responded, extracting himself from her and stepping away. Emma pouted playfully in hopes of tempting him.

"What a shame." A paw stretched out towards him again. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Me." Skye stood beside him, lacing her paw with his own and wrapping her tail around his ankles. "It was pleasure meeting you, Miss Longrass."

The doe looked shock for moment, her nose twitching as she looked from their joined paws to the dumbstruck look on Jack's face as he looked up at the vixen. Judy waited for the explosion. But to her surprise, Emma just sighed. The outstretched paw went out to shake Skye's, the vixen's expression slightly suspicious.

"You really are a lucky lady," she said with a wistful smile and look that bordered on respect. "Take care of him." She winked over at Jack. "He's a really, really good guy."

She turned to leave, the pair of them smiling in relief at the outcome.

"Oh, and interspeices couples get an extra fifteen percent off!" Emma grinned at their shocked expressions and continued on her way.

Both turned back to the busy cafe, still paw in paw, heading to the register.

"So…" Skye turned to look at Jack. "That went well."

"Well as in 'continue our discussion' well?" he asked hopefully.

She simply laughed and released him, giving the buck a slight push towards the kitchen. "Your next appointment is in five, Romeo."

He laughed with her and soon everyone fell into the rhythm of their work. Jack and Jon successfully wowed their other clients, sealing in their orders for cakes and, in one case, cupcakes. The line moved at a steady pace, though the selection of baked goods dwindled significantly. Everyone for the most part was content with how the day was turning out.

For an hour after she had gotten back from camp, Judy mainly bussed tables and did dishes. And, as in the morning, she did it without complaint. It was brainless work, allowing her to think and get lost in her daydreams. Daydreams that used to be all about her future as a cop. Now, they involved Nick.

How he looked at her, how he smelled, how his ears and tail perked up when she spoke to him.

Gideon's words had been in the back of her mind since the last day of school: "He has a crush on you, too."

But it wasn't that she had a crush. She was Judy Hopps! Jude the Dude! Future cop, fearless, practical, and able to think from other places besides between her legs. She wasn't like her sisters who were batting their lashes at every buck who smiled at them. And she certainly wasn't crushing on a male who insulted her and goaded her into fights.

No matter how attractive he was. Besides, Kody was far more appealing. That accent, that fur, those eyes.

He's boring, though, she thought.

He's just polite, came the reasoning.

No, there's something off about him. Something that keeps you from thinking about him until you force yourself to.

I just met the guy! That's just me being-

Honest? She frowned at the thought. Be honest. You just met Nick and you've spent the past week obsessing about him. Kody just isn't as interesting. And you're not a fan of his scent.

Kody smells just fine!

In that, he smells clean. But like sandalwood - you hate sandalwood. Nick smells like violets and cotton blossoms. He really does smell so much better… And you were always an admirer of green eyes.

The jingling of the door bells brought her attention back to reality. At long last, the line had shortened enough so it didn't wind outside, giving the bells a chance to do their jobs. Her standard greeting died on her lips when she saw who it was.

"Nick? What are you doing here?"

Judy looked wide eyed at the todd standing in front of her, his fur rumpled and expression flustered. He still wore his exercise clothes, with his paws tugging at the hem of his shirt. Skye and Jack both paused in their restocking of the pastry case to glance over at the pair. Their sudden stop made the other workers follow suite and look their way. Customers, puzzled at the sudden halt in service followed their gazes with curious looks.

To her embarrassment, Judy realized everyone was watching them. Nick gave a nervous grin to the many eyes focused on the unexpected entertainment as he fruitlessly opened and closed his mouth.

"Ummm," he starting to take a step closer, eyes finding Skye's. The amused look she gave him seemed to make him deflate as a paw gestured in her direction. "My sister…"

He cleared his throat and looked at Judy again. "I just came to see my sister…"

Disappointment blossomed inside her as he started to walk backwards towards the counter.

"Oh…" Her ears dropped as she turned, bus bucket still in paw. Though the sound of his throat being cleared had her looking back up. She was surprised find he had moved closer to her, twisting his paws together.

"Star night!" he exclaimed, startling her into almost dropping the bucket. She looked at him with wide eyes, taking in his frazzled fur and petrified look.

"What?"

"S-star ni-night…" With another clearing of his throat, his fur returned to normal though he didn't look any less nervous. "The-there's a star night… at the Museum of Natural History. Tonight. I was, ah-hmm! Wondering if you wanted to go with me? Maybe…"

The bunny doe stared slack jawed at him, her brain trying to register the words he had just said.

"I have to ask my brother."

Both teens looked over at Jack, whose ears shot up upon realizing every mammal in the cafe now watched him for his response. The buck looked around, eyes resting on Skye. She grinned and gave him a light nudge with her hip. A defeated look crossed his face before turning back to the pair in the lobby. With an eyeroll, Jack nodded his head.

Nick looked back her, ears perked and body tense. Silence stretched as she met his eyes, the burst of encouragement Jack's nod had given him wearing off when she didn't reply. Lowering his head and moving to the exit had Judy finding her voice.

"Sure." Pausing with head snapped back towards her, a small smile played on his muzzle that grew as hers crept up. "What time?"

"Seven."

"Meet me here at six thirty?"

"Yeah," he grinned and nodded eagerly. "Ok! Sure! Six thirty sounds great."

"Awesome!" Judy felt her ears grow hot, though they remained perched over her head.

The todd was beaming as he walked backwards towards the door, giving distracted apologies to anyone he ran into. His eyes remained locked onto Judy, who was smiling back as he left. Nick was almost through the door when another voice rang out.

"Bye, Nicky!"

Ears flattened as his eyes moved over to his sister, who waggled her fingers at him with smirk on her face.

"Oh… Uh, later, Skye!" And with that, Nick ran away, goofy grin getting wider as he did.

There was a scattering of applause from those still in line causing Judy to blush but her smile stayed intact. Butterflies filled her belly as she mentally looked through her wardrobe to figure out what to wear. As outfits were vetoed, a loud voice coming from the register crashed her train of thought.

"-absolute disgrace!"

Her ears perked up and swiveled around.

"What sort of big brother are you to let your sweet, helpless little sister go out with a bit of vermin like him! Are you looking forward to seeing her hurt and broken? Because that's what going to happen! He's going to use and abuse that innocent little doe to get the one thing bunnies are good for! You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself!"

Quiet murmurings wrapped themselves around Judy as she left the table she was cleaning for the register. Jack stood behind the counter, paws on his hips, facing an ewe who gripped her young lamb by the hoof. Behind him was Skye looking equally furious with Kari not too far off. Sandra and Bobby were exchanging incredulous looks with a hint of amusement just under the surface.

A few of the mammals in the cafe nodded in agreement, some going so far as to leave their places in line and head for the exit. Others looked on in outrage at the sheep. The rest were either grumbling about the line being held up or gleefully watching the drama unfold.

"First off, if there is a single mammal here who thinks that my little sister is helpless, they're in for some serious, fucking disappointment." The ewe gasped in shock at the swear word and went to muffle the ears of her delighted looking lamb.

"Second," continued Skye, Jack letting her step forward with a paw pointed towards the irate patron. "You don't even know my little brother. All you see is a fox, not the kind-hearted, hardworking, funny todd he actually is."

Jack reached up to give her free paw a supportive squeeze, not missed by the ewe, who's eyes widened in disgust.

"This place is an abomination and you and everyone who works here or supports this business is going to hell!" And with that, she turned hoof and stormed out.

There was another round of applause as a few of the patrons cheered for Jack and Skye. Both nodded to the crowd and exchanged smirks, before Skye clapped her paws together.

"Back to work everyone! We've got mammals to please!" She gave Jack another grin who returned it with a pointed look over at the coffee maker. Understanding, she turned to the line of mammals waiting. "Everyone in line gets a free small hot or iced coffee or tea on the house!"

And that was more than enough to make their customers happy.

…..

"SHE SAID YES!"

Nick had been muttering the words under his breath as he danced from Savanna Central Perk back to his home. Now in the quiet of the living room, he jumped onto the couch, bouncing with excitement, shouting the words at the top of his lungs. With an almost maniacal laugh, he jumped from the couch back to the floor. Greg had rushed from his bedroom to where his brother was throwing his fists in the air.

"Nick, what the fuck are you-"

"EVERYBODY MAMBO!" With a yelp, the older todd was grabbed and spun around the room.

"Why-" Greg was twisted one way. "-are we-" He was spun another way.

"Doing-" Nick finally released his brother, who swayed slightly on feet, to dance excitedly around on his own. "-this?"

Nick stopped in his tracks, eyes going to Greg who dropped his ears in worry when he rushed up to him. Paws went to grasp his shoulders. "Greg," he began, with wide eyes. "She said yes…."

His eyes widened at his little brother's words. "Who?"

"Judy. She said yes to going out tonight."

The shock of what was said wore off of Greg quickly. He smiled as Nick released him, babbling about how unreal it was that Judy said yes, what he was going to wear, where they should go after the museum, and how perfect the bunny in question was.

"Gotta say, little brother," he started. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Oh, fuck you!"

The words were uttered as the front door opened and closed. "Language, please!"

Vivian glared at her sons before heading to her room and shutting the door, leaving a faint smell of rot in her wake.

"I thought you were working a double, Mom." Greg called as his brother headed to his own room.

"I am! I just got thrown up on, so Wanda let me leave to change! I don't have any scrubs in my locker." She opened the door again, smelling a bit cleaner with a can of musk spray in her paw. "So, what's all the excitement about?"

"Nothing!" came Nick's frantic voice. The older foxes exchanged looks, Vivian's confused while Greg looked amused, before turning back to the closed door. Nick could be heard muttering, the sounds of cloth being rustled barely audible.

Greg leaned closer to his mom with a grin. "Nick's got a date."

No-one, not even Vivian, was prepared for the sound the vixen made. Even in his room, buried in his closet, Nick winced in pain at his mother's joyous scream.

"MY BABY IS GOING ON HIS FIRST DATE!" she cried. "I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME!"

She ran to his door gave it an excited knock. "Is it with the bunny? Is it with Judy? OHHHHHH! I'll bet you two will be SOOOO cute together! Oh, sweetheart! Wear that shirt Skye got you for your birthday! That color really brings out your eyes.

You'll look so handsome in it! Though you look handsome no matter what. You and your brother. Oh! I'm just so happy for you, sweetheart!"

"Uh, Mom," came Nick's awkward reply.

"Yes, baby?"

"I'm trying to change here, so could you, you know…?"

"Give the todd some breathing room, Ma," explained Greg, having gone through this this before. Vivian's ears and tail bristled with embarrassment.

"Oh!" She looked back the door before looking to her son. "Oh, right! Sorry. I just got excited, I guess." With a smile she went to grab her purse from her room before heading to the door. Turning back to Greg, she sighed. "Get a picture for me, will you?"

He smiled and nodded, only to be distracted by Nick's door opening. He ran from his room to his mother, giving her a quick hug before racing back and closing the door behind him. Greg and Vivian shared a smile again before she left.

In his room, Nick dug through his closet until the shirt was found and held up.

His dad had had one just like it, though Matty's had been a Pawaiian print. Skye joked that he only wore it when he was angry at their mother, though in truth it was his favorite shirt. Vivian always said it was better than a headache as a mood killer and claimed to live for the day when it could be burned.

Nick knew it was folded up and stashed in Vivian's closet, his mom unable to part with it. Skye had surprised him with a shirt similar in cut with the same material; just no Pawaiian print. But it made him feel like his dad was next to him whenever he wore it. Slipping it on, followed by a pair of khakis, Nick smiled at his reflection.

He looked just like Matthew Wilde.


	11. Bust A Move Pt 2

A/N: A special thanks to ScaraMedn and Kt_valmiri for beta reading and editing. Another thanks to Mooseman from DeviantArt for letting me bring his original character Jason into the mix. And of course, a huge thank you to everyone who reads. Much appreciated, from the bottom of my heart!

…..

The rest of the afternoon was a happy blur. As it got later, the line was no longer out of control, though it stayed steady. There was enough time for Jon and Jack to replenish the baked goods and keep the counter staff on their toes. Skye handled it like a pro, her sweet charm and beauty putting everyone ease. Any customers who showed trepidation towards her or Kari had their fears dispelled after only a few words with the lovely vixens.

Both Jack and Bobby found themselves glaring at other males who offered to spend their free time with them. Needless to say, Sandra and Jon had a ball with teasing the pair. Kendall and Lucian, the mink and grey squirrel (respectfully) who worked on call for Jack, didn't need to be brought up to speed, both capable of filling in the blanks.

Judy was excused not too long after and she bounced up the stairs to get ready for her …date.

Jack tried not to cringe at the thought of it. He had enough younger siblings that the idea of one of them going on dates wasn't new or even strange. It was just the fact that it was Judy. His little Bun-Bun. Someone so different from the family they grew up with, the idea of her being interested in intimacy seemed wrong. Part of him was so used to her dismissing dates that it shocked him, especially when someone she claimed to hate got through.

Tom and Maple would have a field day with his reaction. It was just like Stu Hopps. So like his father, who cried for weeks whenever he found out one of his children were engaged. Stu cried at the drop of a hat over the smallest things where his kits were concerned and it made Jack anxious to think that he had inherited that trait. Another bout of denial told him he didn't.

But he found himself hard pressed to argue when his baby sister came down the stairs in a dress he knew his mother had snuck into her luggage. Her fur was carefully brushed and her lips a bit shinier than normal. His eyes grew misty as he watched her smooth a paw over the soft peach colored, cotton material as Skye walked around the counter to compliment her.

To his horror, a few tears fell as the vixen pulled her to the side with a mascara wand and a pocket mirror. She taught his sister how to apply it, straightened a strap on her dress, and then grinned over at him. Only to have it turn sympathetic at his emotions. Rolling his eyes, he left the kitchen doorway.

"Oh, you bunnies," Skye said with humor. "So emotional."

"I'm not made of stone," Jack said sadly. He smiled at her before turning to Judy.

Reaching into his pocket, a few bills were pulled out and passed to her. "These are your tips, be home by nine at the latest, and keep your cell phone on at all times. You hear me?"

Judy smiled and nodded. "Yes, Dad, I hear you loud and clear."

"I'm nothing like Dad," Jack argued without heat. He opened his arms and was comforted when his baby sister dove into them. "Have fun."

"Thank you, Jackie," she whispered as she pulled away.

The trio looked over to the door as the bells jingled, Nick walking through dressed in a nice pair of khakis and green, short-sleeved button down. His heart clenched as she drew in a breath at the sight of him. And Jack had to hand it to the kit: Nick looked sharp.

The todd waved and walked up, a nervous grin on his face.

"Hi," he greeted, green eyes on Judy, who grinned back at him. "You look …wow."

His sister blushed but didn't look away. "So do you."

The two stared at each other, grinning before Skye cleared her throat. Jack did a double take at the sight of the vixen's own eyes sparkling at her brother.

"All right you two," she said in slightly choked voice. "Get out of here and have fun."

Judy looked up and pointed at Jack, whose paw slipped into his jeans pocket.

"Don't call him!" she warned. With a sigh and laugh, the buck held up his paws in defeat.

"Then don't be late!" he warned back.

After hugs, the teens left for the door. Skye's smile faded as she watched them disappear. Jack put a paw on her's, causing her to jump and look down at it. He smiled sadly and jerked his head towards the back door. The cafe was slow enough for them to slip out for a few minutes.

"You ok?" he asked once they were in the relative quiet of the alleyway. Skye stood with her back to him, one paw on her hip the other clamped over her eyes. The distant sounds of musicians tuning their instruments at the bar behind them weren't enough to muffle the quiet sob he heard.

"Yeah," she said finally, if a little shaky. With a sniff she lowered her paw, keeping herself turned away while she cried. "It's just, Nick…. He looks so much like him. He has a lot of Mom, but…. sometimes it's hard to look at him and not see Dad, too."

He came up behind her carefully, as though afraid she would pull away if he moved to quickly. She gave a small start when his paws landed on her hips and slid over to her front. Though he couldn't see it, she smiled tearfully as he drew her to him and he buried his nose into her shirt.

Her paws covered his in a tender stroke, both swaying as the unseen band started to play.

"I love this song," she whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Me, too," he agreed. She turned in his arms and wrapped them around his neck, the pair of them dancing slowly to music as the sun set over The Perk.

…

"Wow…"

Nick looked down at her with a soft smile. She moved further into the museum, her eyes moving around the open space of the atrium. The windows had all been shuttered, every beam of setting sunlight blocked from entering. Lights were set at their dimmest to allow mammals to navigate to their spots for the lecture.

Ordinarily, there wouldn't be too much to look at.

In this case, however, the whole area was lit up with stars. Donated to the museum by an obscenely wealthy hippo, a large projector was set up in the center of the room. Loaded with the stars, planets, and constellations visible this time of year, it had been flicked on as a teaser for the mammals slowly filling in.

Trying to seem as casual as he could, Nick stopped beside a larger mat, not unlike the ones they sparred on that afternoon. With a happy grin, he lowered himself, stretching out on one side and giving the space next to him an inviting pat. Judy raised her brows at him and smiled as she took a seat next to him, careful not let her dress ride up.

"So, what is this?" She asked once they were comfortably laying under the projected night sky.

"Stargazing isn't very good in the city," he explained, folding his paws behind his head, eyes moving from star to star. "And most mammals are too busy to travel far enough to escape the light pollution. So, once a month, the museum does Star Night. They download a sky map and project it while an astronomer describes what we're looking at."

"That's so cool," she whispered, her voice laced with excitement. Pride filled him as he looked over at her.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she breathed as the lights went out completely and the stars become more visible.

"Every time I look at you."

Whispered as quietly as it was, Nick felt himself flush when she turned to look at him. With shy smiles, they turned to focus on the presentation.

And she was the perfect audience. The todd found himself struggling to pay attention with Judy next to him. She was obviously listening to the bear leading Star Night, her own paws helping Nick point out some harder to spot star groups. But all too soon it was over and they found themselves filing out of the museum into the darkening streets of Savanna Central.

Judy tried to feel alarm at how nice it was to be there with him.

"So…" started Nick as he strolled next to her.

"So…?" she mimicked with a smiled as she watched him squirm at her question.

"Do you like me?" Part of her wasn't surprised at what he asked. But another part of her remembered their first meeting.

"When you're not being a complete jerk…" she responded, pausing under a street lamp to look up at him. She watched his ears fall at that as he turned to face her. The sudden embarrassment on his face made her muzzle curl into a grin.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Nick looked at her with the same smile he had when he stole a kiss from her. It was exciting how it made her want him try it again. Maybe that's why she didn't move away as their muzzle inched closer. Because, for all his charm, he could really be such a dumb fox, spurred on by even dumber actions.

Or, in this current case, words.

"More than Kody?"

Withholding a laugh, she rolled her eyes and started walking again.

"Well…" She clasped her paws behind her and looked up at the dark sky, pretending to think. "I've only known him for a few hours and he has yet to call me cute. Or hustle me into an absurd bet. Or make a move without permission."

She finished with a pointed glance at the todd. His face was creased in a frown as he considered her words.

"Sounds boring." He gave a firm nod of his head, a satisfied smile on his face when she gave into laughter.

"It's called manners," she chided, her voice an over exaggerated

Zootropolis accent. "It is what gentle mammals possess, good sir, I must say!"

Nick gave a chuckle before putting on an air of over refined sophistication.

"Oh my, my little crumpet!" Judy snorted at that, watching the todd brush imaginary dust from his make-believe waistcoat. "How in HEAVEN'S name to do you put up with such GHASTLY individuals?"

He thrust an elbow out to her, bowing at the waist as she accepted it.

"To the ice cream shoppe, Lovey!" She laughed again as they sashayed down the sidewalk, arm in arm.

Judy laughed a lot that evening. She laughed every time Nick tipped an imaginary top hat to mammals passing them on the street. She laughed when they paused by a street magician who confused him with a card trick. And she laughed when the sly fox scooped her up without warning and gave an impressive leap over a flooded sidewalk curb.

Ice cream was purchased by Judy, though Nick had pulled his wallet out to stop her. Reminding him of the bet, she laughed again when he gave himself brain freeze. She laughed hard enough during the course of their outing that she missed the subtle glare Nick gave to those who huffed in disgust at them. But they were easy to forget about.

Because the laughter was addicting.

So, with paper cups filled with ice cream in their paws, the pair slowly made their way back to The Perk. The conversation tapered off as they ate, both of them trying to steal glances of the other and blushing when they were caught. Nick felt himself starting to become nervous again when they reach the front door of the shop, it lights dimmed to show it was closed for the night.

Mindful the many pairs of eyes on them, including Skye's and Jack's, the todd moved as close to Judy as he could without seeming too overbearing. He looked down at her, watching as another bite of ice cream vanished. She smiled around her spoon, pulling it clean and setting it in the now empty container.

"So…" she started.

"So…." he repeated.

"This is me."

Nick laughed at the cliche line, both looking towards their audience who watched them in suspense, not even pretending to clean the vacant cafe.

"I had a great time tonight." The observation had her looking down shyly before raising her eyes again.

"Me too, Nick. And I was thinking… Well… It wouldn't be too terrible if we did this again…" Her ears suddenly dropped, though not before he spotted the tinge of pink inside them.

"I would like that," the todd whispered, stepping closer.

Inside the cafe, Jon stood behind the counter and clenched his apron.

"Kiss her, you idiot!" he muttered anxiously. Two paws shot out to smack him upside the head. Jack and Skye scowled at him, though for very different reasons.

The group collectively held their breaths as the two teens stared at each other. As one, shouts of either victory or disappointment echoed into the deserted space as Judy shot up to plant a kiss on Nick's cheek. Breaking away from their spots, paws were shaken and money exchanged.

As the jingling of the bells sounded, everyone gave another cheer at the sight of the young bunny doe stroking her blushing ears. With an embarrassed smile, she waved at them before darting up the stairs to the apartment. Outside, Nick gave those who turned towards him a wink and a salute, before strolling casually away with a grin.

Jack sighed and smiled ruefully. He looked over at Skye, who was gathering the aprons and bidding everyone good night. Leaning against the counter, as the others left talking and laughing about their plans for the evening, he watched her move around his cafe as though she had been working there her whole life. As though it was where she was meant to be.

Feeling his eyes on her, she paused to look at him questioningly.

"I was just wondering what a buck's gotta do to buy you a drink?"

She tipped her eyes upward and lifted her paw to her chin as she pretended to think about it.

"Dance in conga line with the mayor while dressed as Carmen Mirancat." She answered with a smug grin.

The buck laughed at her response. "Sad to say there's probably a video of me doing that from college."

"Really?" She asked laughing. "With the mayor?"

Nodding, he pushed from his spot. "I'll tell you about it over drinks?"

Skye eyed him suspiciously before grinning and holding out her paw. "Done."

…

Nick stood in front of the entryway to his building, breathing in the warm summer air, high on life. He couldn't even find it in him to be annoyed that his phone started to ring, pulling him out of his reverie. Not even bothering to look at the screen as his thumb slid over the answer button.

"S'up?"

"Hey, Nicky!"

The todd's eyes snapped open at the sound of Tabitha's voice. He gave a quick glance at his caller id with a frown before putting the phone to his ear again.

"Hey, Tabs. What going on?"

"I actually was hoping you had a moment to talk?"

"Uh, sure!" Half curious, half impatient, Nick turned to take a seat on the steps leading to his building. "What's going on?"

"It's about Natasha."

A paw went to the bridge of his muzzle to ease the annoyance that flared up. He had a feeling he knew what was coming…

"Listen, Nicky. Natasha really, really likes you and I really think you two would be good for each other. I was wondering if you would consider asking her out? To maybe a movie or something? I just know that you two would have an amazing time."

"Thanks for your opinion, Tabs," Nick took a deep breath trying to control his rising anger. "And here's my thoughts on that. I've never liked Natasha. Ever. And as flattered as I am that she likes me, I'm not going to go out with someone I don't feel anything for."

"But if you just give her a chance, you might feel something! It's not really fair, Nick, that you're spending so much time and attention on a bunny and not even giving someone of your own species an opportunity!" He furrowed his brow as she sighed on the other end of the line. "Why can't you see how crazy that logic is? Especially considering how much Natasha likes you."

Doubt started to creep in as Nick took his own deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I'll talk to you later, Tabs."

He hung up before she could respond. Good feeling gone, his phone was considered for a moment before he stood again and headed inside. The door stuck slightly when he unlocked it, a firm push revealing his brother hanging upside down on the couch. Greg's own phone lit up his face, a small smile on his his muzzle as his thumbs typed.

"Hey little brother!" he chirped, eyes never leaving the screen. "How was your date?"

The younger todd felt himself blush at the question, mind flashing back through what was definitely the best night of his life. Blue eyes left his phone to grin at his little brother. But Greg's expression fell at the look on Nick's face.

"What's wrong?" The question was asked as he scrambled to sit properly on the couch, the space next to him patted. Obeying the wordless request, Nick sat down and gathered his thoughts.

"Greg," he began with hesitation. "Do you think it's weird that the female I like isn't a vixen?"

Whatever the older todd was expecting, it wasn't that.

"Uh…" Snapping out of his surprised stupor, Greg shook his head and cleared his throat. "Well, it's a little strange." Nick's eyes closed in shame at that. "But-" They popped back open as his big brother put a comforting arm around him. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"But-"

"Did you have a good time tonight, Nick?"

"I can't remember when I had more fun."

"Listen, being different is always going to make people nervous. Especially when it's obvious like dating someone outside the species. But I knew you've had a thing for this bunny since the moment you saw her. I knew from the way you would just stare at her whenever you saw her around town. You'd get this dweeby, moon eyed look on your face and sigh. And the fact that you would spend hours afterwards talking to yourself and rehearsing what to say to her? Anyone with half a brain could see you were a sucker for her.

"So, don't let the dip shits who live in this city make you feel bad because the female you've been pining after happens to have longer ears and a shorter tail."

Greg's grin returned as looked down at Nick.

Seeing Nick still lost in thought, he gave his little brother a small squeeze. "So, what prompted this question?"

Nick hung his head. "Tabitha Peaks called and said Natasha liked me and I should give her a chance because it's only fair."

"No," came his older brother's stern voice. "That's not the way anything works."

Green eyes looked up in confusion at that.

"The only one being unfair in that story is Tabitha, Nicky. You don't owe anyone a date, you don't owe it to anyone to try to fake something you don't feel. And you especially don't owe anyone your time and affection just because they like you. If that's the way the world worked, it would be crazier than it already is."

"Then… you don't think I'm being unreasonable for not going out with her because she's a vixen?"

"Does she make you feel how the same way Judy does?" Nick shook his head.

"Then there's your answer. It's not that she's a vixen. It's that you don't like her."

The younger todd looked up at his brother with crinkled eyebrows.

"So, I'm defective?" he asked in a slightly defeated voice.

"Oh, definitely." Greg laughed at his brother's horrified expression. Though his humor died quickly in the face of Nick's exasperation. "But we'd rather you be defective than miserable."

With an appreciative smile, the younger todd hopped off the couch towards his room.

"What are you up to, anyway?" he asked his older brother. "Normally you're long gone or getting ready to be long gone."

He tossed his phone onto his bed and turned to look at Greg in the door way. The older todd smirked and crossed his arms.

"Just about to head out now, actually. Mom's still working. Though she reminded me there's some food in the fridge, in case you were hungry."

Nick's cell phone started beeping from the nest of blankets, making his ears perk towards it. He dived towards the sound, wrestling the covers to find it as Greg watched with amusement. With a cry of triumph, he climbed free, phone in paw. Green eyes lit up at the screen as he smiled at the message.

"It's her!" he said excitedly. "Judy texted me!" His eyes snapped up to his brother, who came up to peer down at the screen. Nick suddenly bristled and began pushing him towards the door.

"Out! Get out, get out, get out! I need to message her back!"

Greg laughed as he was spun and shoved towards out of the room. Digging his heels into the carpet, he let his body relax and fall back on his little brother.

"Oh, no!" he declared. "Gravity is increasing on me!"

"Oh my gods, no it's not!" Nick cried in exasperation trying to keep his brother from falling onto him.

"Yes it is, Nick, the same thing happened yesterday."

With a grunt of annoyance, a final shove was given propelling Greg out of his room.

"You're the worst," shouted the younger todd, scowling at him. "Why are you so weird?"

And with that, his door was slammed, leaving Greg dying of laughter on the other side. After composing himself, he gave the door a final fond glance. His own phone beeped, letting him know his date was outside. Wallet, keys, and jacket gathered, he left his brother to his own devices, happy that Nick was moving forward at last.

…..

Male up, wolf!

With a determined stomp, Dave marched up to the apartment door and gave it a decisive knock. Which was met with silence. Arms folded to wait out the answer. After a few moments, when no one came, his ears and tail dropped as his paw timidly went to knock again.

It was less than an inch away before it swung open, the large tiger on the other side making his mouth grow dry. All the young wolf could do was gulp and stare up into a pair of suspicious blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" he growled as he folded his arms.

"Um," squeaked out Dave as he tried to swallow past his nerves. "I… was hoping to, um, talk to Brook."

The tiger looked him up and down. "You wanna talk to my sweet, innocent, little niece, Brook? Why?" he asked quirking his eyebrows.

It was a simple question that had him stuttering to find the answer. An indignant voice came from behind the larger male that had Dave's ears perking.

"Uncle Jason!" The tiger turned to look at the speaker. Brook stood just outside a hall, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, with a mischievous smirk on her muzzle.

"Are you tormenting my friends?"

"Of course not, sweetheart!" His grin turned to a scowl as he turned back at Dave.

"Just making sure you're not wasting time with any of the riff raff."

"I think that's my job!"

Another male tiger came from kitchen, his brown eyes narrowed at the wolf. He came to stand next to Jason, their glares pushing the smaller predator close to heart attack. Ears and tail down, all Dave could do was try not to faint.

"You gotta give me something, Keith," growled Jason. "It's bad enough you married my baby sister. I gotta defend my only niece."

"Mom!" shouted Brook, still unable to see who was at the door. "Dad and Uncle Jason are scaring my friends!"

Both males straightened in alarm at the voice echoing from the kitchen.

"Both of you knock it off and get in here! Jason, you promised to help me put this cabinet together and Keith, you better get that grill started and those burgers cooked! NOW!"

With jumps and gulps, they raced each other back to kitchen, though they did pause to give threatening looks back at the smaller male. Brook laughed and shook her before looking back to the door. Her smile dropped as her eyes met his. She bit her lip and rubbed the back of her neck before she found the courage to speak.

"Sorry about that. I'm the only cub in the family so they get a tad protective." A ghost of a smile made itself visible as Dave responded with an uncomfortable laugh.

"I understand," he responded. "I'm the only male in a family of six females. And I'm the oldest so I have to look out for them."

The tigress studied him for a moment in silence. "So… what are you doing here?"

She asked quietly, walking towards him and crossing her arms.

"I just… I wanted to. make sure you're okay," he muttered. His eyes cast down to the threshold. He kicked his feet a bit before continuing. "And to… maybe…. ask you what I did. And if there's anything I can do to get you to forgive me."

A small sigh was given as she looked to the kitchen doorway, with her mother, father, and uncle poking their heads out to spy on them. Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise and they vanished from sight. Rolling her own, she gestured to the hallway.

Once the door was firmly shut behind her, she sighed again and tapped her foot.

"So?" Dave asked. "What did I do?"

Brook looked down.

"Brook? Please tell me…"

Her silence filled him with frustration, his paws going to the fur on top of his head to give it a tug. "You know what?" he growled and squeezed his eyes shut before popping them open. "Fuck this. Seriously, Brook. Fuck this and fuck you. I was under the impression we were friends. Under the teasing and the stupid jokes, I actually thought we were buddies. And… and we could tell each other anything!"

He glared at her. "But if you're going to phase me out and not tell me why, then fuck it. You don't want to be friends? Fine! We're not friends. Happy?"

Brook watched him turn and storm away, tears filling her eyes.

But he paused when she finally found her voice.

"I like you!" Dave stumbled a bit before turning to look at her.

"What?"

Looking equal parts guilty, embarrassed, and terrified, she wiped her eyes and looked to the floor. "I like you and I saw you talking to Marie LaFurre and you both looked so perfect together and you were obviously into her and I just…"

A small giggle had her lifting her eyes in confusion. Dave had his paws over his muzzle and was trying to hold in his laughter. He doubled over to laugh briefly before trying to compose himself. But once he straightened and looked at her

again, he dissolved back into hysterical laughter.

"Oh my gods!" cried Brook. "What is so funny?"

"Y-you think-" He snorted into his paw. "You think th-that Marie LaFurre is interested in… in m-me!"

Confusion grew in the tigress as she watched him loose it to his mirth. All she could do was cross her arms and impatiently wait for him to get it together enough to explain. When his laugh became a quiet chuckle, she cleared her throat expectantly. One finger was held up as he wiped his eyes and grinned at her.

"I get it now," he said with a nod. "You were jealous."

Brook scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You were jealous over nothing, really." She wrinkled her brow at him as he put his paws in his pockets and strolled back towards her. "Marie is great. She really is. And she's just my sister's type."

Eyebrows shot up in surprise at that. Dave gave another nod. "Remember how my sister, Darla, got into that upscale art school last year?" Brook nodded.

"Well, I knew she and Marie had a thing going on before she left so I was letting her know when Darla would be back. And how to surprise her."

"Soooooo," Brook looked back down again and clasped her paws behind her back. "You're not interested in her?"

The wolf shook his head. "Not at all."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope!"

For the first time in days, Brook smiled at him. Really smiled. Radiantly smiled.

And Dave smiled back, his just as big and goofy as hers.

"Wanna grab some ice cream?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," came the happy response. She turned back to open the door, only for it to creak open and a large paw to jut out with her purse.

"Be back by eight thirty," growled a low voice.

The teens laughed and turned to walk down the hall. Feeling better than he had in days, Dave took a deep breath and smiled again. But paused when a curious scent hit his nose.

"Brook?" he asked as they walked down to the elevator. She smiled down at him. He sniffed her again. "Are you… are you bleeding?"

There was muffled laughter from her apartment door as the tigress facepalmed.

"Dumb pup," she muttered.

…..

"You didn't!" laughed Skye.

Jack nodded, laughing along with her as he shared some of his exploits from his brief stint in college.

"Yes I did." He assured. "I'm a mammal of my word. So, I put on the skirt, my sister's favorite sparkly top, and a fruit hat, and marched right up to the mayor, grabbed his paw and started dancing. Next thing I knew, we're leading the reception in a conga line." The vixen dissolved into laughter as the buck looked on. "My boss was so proud!"

Still laughing, she tried to shake off the amusement and compose herself on her bar seat. An elbow propped up on the bar itself, her other paw reached for her wine glass, gesturing Jack to do the same. They touched glasses and smiled at each other.

"To stories that make us laugh," she said as she leaned into him, her eyes still sparkling as she looked into his.

"And a future filled with more of them," he completed, letting himself forget the wine in his paw as their lips met again.

There is saying among rabbits: When we first met, I had no idea you would be so important to me.

With the majority of his species happily hopping from bed to bed, when a mate was found, it truly was a surprising thing. Most rabbits, both male and female, were floored by the amount of emotion they suddenly felt when they met their one and only. Mostly because, when they met them it was supposed to be only for a brief good time before the next fling.

This saying didn't apply to Jack.

From the moment he met Skye, she was important to him. Perhaps it was even before her interview; back to the day Kari handed him her application, excited that a vixen had applied. A well-qualified one, too. Back to the day he had read it over, unconsciously inhaling the scent that clung to it. Thinking she was too good to be true.

Kari had said most foxes waited to find their mate before going further than paw holding. The younger crowd were more open to casual sex, but, with few exceptions, they were still very picky. Everything Jack felt for Skye, she was returning with vigor. And she made him feel… Happy. Complete. Powerful..

And he would need that feeling when the time came to stand up against the look of outrage his sister Maple was wearing when she walked into the bar and spotted them.


	12. Just Can't Wait

As always, thank you to kt_valmiri for editing and huge thank you to johnnyv1986 for letting me know everything was in code!

And thank you to everyone who reads and follows :) Hope you enjoy!

...

"Ok!"

Nick looked up from his video game to where his mother stood in his doorway. She stood dressed in her scrubs and smelling slightly of disinfectant. Leaning against the frame, she crossed her arms and waited for Nick to focus his attention on her.

"Game plan for the next few days," she began. "There was a major accident in

Tundra Town and they need extra paws. So, I'm going to be there for a week helping in Tundra General."

Nick's jaw dropped as a thought hit him.

"So… Greg is in charge?" He flopped back onto the floor with an exasperated sigh. Last time Greg was left in charge, he was tyrant.

"Nope!" He raised his head a bit to look at her, wary of her smirk. "Your brother just left today for a camping trip. He won't be back until next week."

With an excited grin he shot up to a sitting position, paws clasped together with hope. "So, I get the house to myself?"

At that, Vivian burst out laughing. Her son's expression dropped as he watched her, turning into annoyance as she continued to laugh.

"After picking you up how many times from the precinct?" She shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yeah, not happening!"

"So where am I going?"

Vivian raised her brows and smiled, amused by Nick's confused expression. He just stared at her until the answer dawned on him. "No." She laughed again.

"Mom! NO!"

"Sorry, baby," was her reply, not sounding sorry at all. "But you're crazy if you think I'm leaving you alone in my house."

"Mom!" He whined as she left his room still smiling, with him right on her heels.

"Skye can be worse than Greg. And she always wants to paint my claws and mess with my fur. I don't like staying with her."

"I thought you loved your sister."

"I do, but there's a limit to how much a glitter a mammal can take. And she never paints them the colors I want!"

Opening the fridge and pulling out lunch supplies, the vixen just laughed again.

"Yes, yes, sweetheart. Your life is so hard, being surrounded by mammals who love you." She smirked as she pulled an apron over her head as she gestured to the veggies on the counter. "Wash these, please."

With a groan, he obliged, rolling his eyes as he brought them to the kitchen sink.

His mom accepted each veggie piece by piece, Nick silently fuming until he realized a very important fact: Skye had Jack and work to distract her. Meaning he would have more time to spend with Judy. There would have to be nights Skye would have to stay late and he and Judy would be free from helping, leaving them unsupervised…

"And whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it."

Ears flushed hot as they laid back against his head. Looking over to him mom, who smirked at him with a knowing look in her eyes, he felt himself blush harder.

"Your sister is under strict instructions to chaperone you and Judy the entire time you're together." Her smirk turned into a grin as Nick huffed and shut off the water. "And I plan on meeting her soon, by the way."

"How soon?" he asked nervously.

"Like this afternoon soon. I'm walking you to the cafe for your shift."

A sudden thought kept the terror of that statement from forming.

"You haven't met Jack yet, have you?"

"Your sister's boss? Not yet." Nick stared at his mother in surprise. Feeling his eyes on her, Vivian looked up in confusion. "What?"

With a shake of his head, he smiled at her. "Nothing."

Eyes now suspicious, the vixen went back to making lunch for the two of them.

And as he helped her, Nick felt a strange glee. Skye hadn't told their mother about her favorite part of her new job yet. There had been no mistaking either of their intentions towards each other. That information would be very useful…

With a calculating smile, the todd spent the rest of his time imagining being close to his bunny for a week. And what a great week it was going to be.

…

"Gid, touch the dial again and you're walkin'."

The todd scowled at his sister in the driver's seat before slumping against his own. He had already been trapped in this car for an hour. Daisy had kept the music poppy and obnoxious, singing in her horrible singing voice and dancing in her seat because she knew it would annoy him.

"I'm tryin' to remember a time in my life I hated you more," he grumbled. His sister just laughed and turned the music up more. "Dais, we listened to this song four times already! Can we PLEASE change it up?"

"Sorry!" Daisy continued to dance and drive, one claw pointed to her ear as she shook her head. "Can't hear you, Gid! Music's too loud!"

"Then turn it down!"

"TURN DOWN FOR WHAT!"

Gideon groaned again, tugging his ears some to try and block out some of the sound.

Just think of Sharla, he thought. Just think of Sharla…

After watching the pretty ewe get the highest score on Free Throw, they decided the next best thing was to race each other on the motorcycle game. She was the victor once more, something he found he didn't mind at all. His consolation prize was a long, tight hug from the pretty black sheep that filled his nose with the scent of fresh, sweet hay. It was then Gideon came up with the plan to lose to her as often as possible.

He wasn't thrilled to be leaving Bunnyburrow so far ahead of schedule. His visit to Zootopia was supposed to be for the coming weekend, but his sister had the opportunity to meet some of her professors at ZSU and their parents capitalized on that. It was decided that the two of them would go to the city and stay with their aunt, while Daisy ran around her new campus and Gideon got to see his best friend.

As excited as he was to follow Judy's brother Jack and explore Zootopia, he was just as eager to stay back and spend as much time with Sharla as possible. Especially considering she would be leaving for camp the day after he got back.

Life could get really unfair sometimes.

The music being lowered caused him to snap back from reality. A peek out the window saw them pulling into a gas station and stopping at a pump.

"Hungry?" Daisy asked as she unbuckled. "My treat."

With a smile, Gideon followed, thinking maybe his sister wasn't all that bad.

Daisy got out of the car, still dancing and singing under her breath. Stretching before following her lead, the young todd pulled his phone out as he crossed the station towards the mini mart attached to it. He was so engrossed in responding Sharla's latest text, Gideon didn't even notice the other car blaring music as it sped up to one of the pumps.

The screech of tires made the todd jump in alarm, his fur on end and eyes wide as the car full of older males laughed.

"Hey, watch where you're going little buddy!" called a heavy-set badger from the driver's seat.

A meerkat, ferret, and fox slowly filed out of the car while the badger popped the gas tank. Gideon glared at the group, though he was slightly surprise to see the other red fox todd smirking over at him.

"Yo, Wilde!" The fox looked over to the badger pumping gas, catching the wallet tossed at him. "Peanut butter cups and the largest soda they got."

Wilde winked and gave a lazy salute before continuing to the mart. Gideon shook his head at the situation and followed after them. A quick scan around store saw Daisy missing from the aisles. With a shrug at the restroom door, he headed for the candy, and, to his irritation, the other todd was there.

He grinned over at younger fox, his eyes a lighter blue than Gideon's. "Sorry for scaring you, fox." Wilde snatched a pack of peanut butter cups and coconut almond candies. "We were never going to hit you, so don't be mad at us."

Gideon turned his attention to the selection with a frown. "I don't know why y'all had to speed up like that," he grumbled.

"Oh c'mon!" the older todd argued with laugh. "It was a harmless, little joke! I have a brother your age who would have laughed at it."

"He would have laughed at almost gettin' run over?"

"Who almost got ran over?" Daisy danced up and smiled at her little brother, a new pair of sunglasses propped on her top of her head and can of sweet tea in her paw. A pack of gummies were grabbed from the shelf before she danced past, her paw ruffling Gideon's head as she did. "Shake a leg, Gid. We're burnin' daylight. Travis, darlin'!" she called to the weasel behind the counter. "I need ten on pump two, please."

Rolling his eyes, a pack of sour strings were chosen before deciding to add a soda to his order. Wilde gave a low whistle, his own sunglasses pulled down as he eyed Daisy's retreating form.

Gideon scowled at him, feeling offended on Daisy's behalf.

"You know her, kit?"

The teen scoffed. "And they say you city mammals are smart."

Wilde didn't even acknowledge the comment. "Damn! They grow 'em nice in the country."

Gideon looked at him in disgust before leaving for his drink. Wilde, on the other paw, smoothed the fur on his head, brushed his shirt out, tucked his sunglasses into his collar, and sauntered up to Daisy. She stood off to the side as his friends paid, chatting with Travis while she waited for her brother. His friends wagged their eyebrows at Wilde as he leaned up on the counter. With a wink to them, he schooled his face in his most winning and dashing smile.

It was not without a little envy that Gideon watched him approach his sister with such confidence. He couldn't help but wonder where every other todd in the world learned to charm those that caught their attention.

And not just todds. Daisy herself was a natural flirt. Travis was one of many males who fell under her spell, so Gideon didn't blame Wilde for giving it a shot. His sister never went further than just few honied words and a batting of her lashes, but it was enough for way more males than should be allowed. And more often than not, it helped her get her way. Most of the time, Gid wondered if his sister was a bunny in a fox coat.

Daisy and Travis paused their conversation when they realized Wilde was leaning against the counter, watching her as he waited patiently to be noticed. Frowning, the vixen met his eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I sure do hope so." A paw was held out to her, the smile on his muzzle bright as he made his voice drop to what she was sure he thought of as a seductive drawl.

"I'm not from around here and I was hoping to find something pretty enough to keep me coming back. I was positive I was gonna to be let down... Until now."

The paw he had been shaking was gripped a bit tighter, the vixen gently pulled towards him. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm Greg. Greg Wilde." He gave her a wink and looked her up and down. Her eyebrows raised, unimpressed at his attempt. "And you are?"

Daisy simply sighed and moved away, tugging her paw free. Using it to pull her wallet out, some bills were tossed on the counter to Travis.

"Keep the change, darlin'." She pushed off the counter and beckoned towards Gideon walking to the register. "C'mon, Gid, honey. Aunt Marian is expecting us and we've dawdled long enough."

Without another word or glance to Wilde, the two foxes left for their car. He watched Gideon hop into the passenger seat while the vixen headed for the pump. Her sunglasses were flipped over her eyes as she selected her fuel.

With a grin, he tossed money onto the counter and took off after her.

"Hey!" he called out as she finished filling the tank. Looking over her glasses, her blue eyes watched him run up, coming to a stop just a few steps away from the car. "I didn't get your name."

She gave him a mockingly sad look and clicked her teeth. "That's 'cause I never gave it to you, sugah." The sunglasses were lowered a bit further and a wink was tipped at him. "Ciao!"

Gideon guffawed as she took her place in the driver's seat. Music blasting as the car was turned on, the vixen peeled out of the gas station, making Wilde jump back in surprise; one paw was laying on the horn as the two foxes whooped and hollered out the open windows. The noise was cut as a perfect, fiery red paw shot out the window in a wave to him as they vanished into the distance.

Eyes wide open and heart racing, Greg stared after them. He had been turned down plenty of times, but never with such style.

"Ha-ha, Wilde!" The meerkat in the passenger's seat hung out the window as the badger laughed and pounded the steering wheel.

"Greg got dismissed!" All three mammals cackled as he climbed into the back seat.

The fox reclined back, passing the badger his candy. "I still get more tail than any of you assholes." He pulled his sunglasses on and propped his arm out the opened window. "Besides, plenty of fish in the sea."

"Hey, Greg?" He looked over to his friend in the driver's seat. "My soda?"

"What soda?" was Greg's response as he fished the wallet from his pocket and tossed it up to him.

With a grumble, the badger started the car and continued on to their campsite. Greg smiled as he thought about the vixen. They really did grow them nice in the country.

…..

Jack was humming to himself as he piped the edge work on his latest cake.

The grin wouldn't leave his face and his good mood was oddly contagious. Judy was bouncing around, the pair of them singing random bits of songs. It was still busy, thanks to Fru Fru Big making sure everyone in Zootopia knew where to go for the best coffee and desserts in the city. And through it all the buck had never felt happier.

But even he knew Skye needed a break. So, today she was free from work - though it took everything Jack had in him to not call her in. Skye had been working from opening till close nearly every day that week. As much as she liked him, the rabbit was fairly certain she would snap if not given some breathing room. Though, the fact that they hadn't stopped texting each other all day said a lot.

She was keeping him updated throughout her day, sending him pictures of the various activities that kept her preoccupied. It was huge consolation to know he would be seeing her that night for the Small Business Seminar. Not quite the first date he wanted to have with her, but he was still excited about it.

"There!" He stepped away from the cake and gave the side he'd just worked on a critical look over. Turning the cake stand it was on, his eyes scanned for mistakes and flaws. Satisfied it was as close to perfect as it could get, he and Jon lifted it onto the larger bottom piece and packaged it away.

"Ok," began the buck as he massaged his stiff paws, "I gotta do a lap. You gonna be ok if I step out for a minute, Jonny?"

"You know I will be, boss!" The raccoon grinned before picking up the pile of orders and leafing through them.

With another sigh of relief, Jack headed out of the kitchen, stretching his back out, not noticing the truck pulling up in front.

The buck was making a pass over the lobby when he spotted a familiar face walking up to the door. Having arranged for a delivery of produce from his parents while he was in Bunnyburrow, he had naturally assumed Tom would be the one to drop them off. He was a bit more open minded and tended to try to get along with everyone. Next to Jack, he was the more adventurous one out of the older Hopps kits. Even if he never wanted to leave the farm.

Jack wasn't expecting Maple to be the one to drop off his supplies. And he wasn't expecting her to storm in, proverbial guns blazing, her hazel eyes narrowed in on him. The doe stomped up to Jack, not acknowledging the hellos from Lucian and Sandra, and smacked him across the face. A collective gasp came from the customers sitting or waiting to order. Jack dropped his towel, and reached up to clutch at his cheek.

"What the FUCK, Maple?" he shouted in anger, only to receive another painful slap in reply across the other side of his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded.

Seeing their boss in trouble, Sandra and Kari rushed to him with Lucian, Bobby, and Jon not far behind. The three predators snarled, causing the doe to jump back a few paces. Maple eyed them with distrust before her gaze moved to Judy. Her little sister had her attention on Jack as she gently pushed past the vixen. With a cry of alarm, the older doe hopped towards her and snatched Judy up in her arms.

"Stay away from her!" snarled Maple as she dragged her little sister away.

The look of hurt that crossed Kari's face just made Jack even angrier. Judy was struggling to free herself while Maple tugged her towards the door.

"Maple, will you please stop being such a fucking speciesist idiot?" he demanded as he straightened up and waved away help. "You have a better chance at becoming SpiderBun than any of the predators here hurting you or Judy."

He met his sister's angry gaze and stepped towards her. "And right now, you should be more worried about a rabbit attacking you than a predator."

Judy finally tugged free and darted into Jack's arms as Maple tried to regain her grip on her.

"Are you ok?" asked the younger doe, looking up at him in worry.

"Of course, I am!" he assured with a laugh and kiss to her forehead. "Maple hits like a bunny."

"Judy Hopps! You get over here right now!" their sister demanded.

Jack tightened his grip and shielded her from Maple's view. "Judy, sweetheart head upstairs for me please. I need to have a talk with our sister. Kari, will you go with her, please?"

Reluctantly, the two females broke away from the group while Maple glared at them. Kari wrapped her arms around the small bunny, using her tail to block her from view. Maple's cold stare followed them as they went up the stairs and vanished into the apartment. She was suddenly jerked from her glowering as Jack stomped over to grab her by the arm and drag her to the back door.

"Jon, will you set up a tray and start offering everyone in the shop a cookie. Use whatever we have in stock. Sandra, pair it with iced tea, coffee, or lemonade, customer's choice. Lucian, unload the truck, please. I'll be there to help in a moment." Jack's voice was clipped and cold, not sparing his workers a glance as the rabbits vanished into the alley.

Once the back door closed, he practically threw his sister from him in anger and disgust. She faced the buck, her own eyes blazing, matching Jack temper for temper.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded.

"Me? What the fuck is wrong with you?" she countered. "Have you gone completely insane?"

"Asks the bunny who storms into my workplace, assaults me, and insults my workers in front of a room full of customers? What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm here because I wanted to know how your date with Emma went. I thought I would surprise you two and maybe spend some quality time with my brother and sister and drop off your order. So, when the cafe was closed and no-one answered the intercom, I figured I would treat myself to a drink and just see you two in the morning." Her eyes narrowed at him. "Imagine my surprise when I walk into the bar, only to see you locking lips with some vixen!"

Jack froze and his expression went blank. "Who I choose to get involved with is none of your business, Maple."

"But it becomes my business when my baby sister gets involved. How the hell could you have dangerous predators around Judy, Jack? And you went and convinced Sandra to spend all day around them too! You must be out of your gods damn mind!"

"Well excuse me for being more open minded than you! For being able to see past the species and into the mammal that's underneath." Jack turned from her and brought his paws up to his face. After a frustrated groan into them, he moved to massage his temples. "You don't even know her, May."

Maple frowned at the hint of pleading in his tone. And she couldn't contain her flinch when he turned to give her a tired look.

"She's… complicated and funny. And smarter than anyone else I've ever met and she makes me feel like I'm the only mammal worth talking to." He smiled to himself as Skye filled his mind's eye again. "I really, really like her."

The bunny doe digested his words with a nod. Sighing she looked him the eye.

"That's exactly what she wants you to think. And to feel. She's a fox, Jack. Tricking good, honest mammals like you is what she was born for. Don't be so naive to think she's being genuine."

A step was taken towards her stricken brother, her eyes softening in sympathy.

"Jack, I know it's hard to hear. But that vixen is using you. And I don't

want to see you hurt." Maple felt satisfaction as she watched her brother's face fall, happy that she got through to him. Only to have him shake his head and turn his back to her.

"You're wrong, Maple." He walked to the back door and tugged it open. One last glance was given to the doe. "She's everything I've been waiting for. And you don't have to like it. Or accept it." He started to step through before a thought occurred to him. "Go around to the front. Lucien and I will have the truck unloaded in a moment and I'll let Mom and Dad know I'll quick pay them their money online."

"I'm telling them this," she threatened. He only raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"And I'll tell them how you earned your spending money in college." And with another flick of his eyebrows, he vanished, leaving his fuming sister standing alone in the alley.

Jack paused for moment to gather his thoughts when the door closed behind him. Panting, he pinched the bridge of his muzzle and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore his anger and hurt. Breathing deep, he shook his head to clear it and opened his eyes. Walking briskly to the front of the shop, he forced a smile on his muzzle.

"Jack?" came the quiet voice of Judy. He paused and looked up to see her sitting at the top of the stairs.

"I thought I told you to go into the apartment," he said with a smile.

"You said go upstairs. I'm upstairs," she replied with a smile of her own. It fell as brother and sister held each other's gaze. "Are you ok?"

Rounding the railing, he walked up to where she sat and kneeled in front of her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Judy looked at her paws folded in her lap. "I like Skye," she whispered. Looking back up at him, she gave a shy smile at his happy expression. "She's good for you and she respects you. I don't want you to stop seeing her because of Maple."

"Hey." His paws went to frame her face. "No power in this universe can keep me from being with her. Because I like her, too."

The apartment door opened and Kari poked her head out, looking frantic. "Sorry, boss! I had to use the bathroom and when I came out, she was gone."

"Don't worry about that, Kari." Jack pulled Judy to her feet. "Let's go get some work done. Sandra is going to need you at the register, Kari. And Judy, help wherever they need you."

Kari gave a nod as she bounded past the two bunnies, though Judy looked at her brother in curiosity.

"What did Maple do in college?" she asked as Jack turned to follow the vixen.

He paused and grimaced at her. "It's a really long… disgusting story that you're way too young to hear." He grabbed her paw and pulled her along. "Now back to work, Bun-Bun."

Maple stood off to the side as the buck and grey squirrel unloaded the truck. Though Jack's ears twitched every few moments as she huffed. It made calling out a greeting to every predator who entered The Perk all the better. Anything to let her know he could care less about her opinion.

The buck smiled his thanks as Lucian accepted the last box from him, watching the grey squirrel vanish through the propped open cafe door.

Though he rolled his eyes at the bratty grunt from his sister. Jaw clenched, Jack turned to face her, finding a sour expression on her pretty face and her arms crossed.

"Thanks for driving all the way up here, Maple," he began coolly, "I really appreciate it."

"And when she breaks your heart and leaves you high and dry with nothing to show for it, don't come crying to me." He shook his head at her expression of stubborn malice. "I'll be too busy laughing."

"Yeah," retorted the buck, "a small army of brothers and sisters and I'm going to run to the one sibling who makes Pop-Pop seem progressive."

Maple studied him for a moment before huffing. "You're an idiot. You really should have just stayed on the farm. No doe is going to want anything to do with you after that slut is done bleeding you dry."

Narrowing his eyes in anger, Jack watched as she turned on her heel and climbed into the cab of the truck. His jaw ached from being clenched as he watched his sister drive away.

"Bitch," he spat out, still glaring at the spot where the family truck had vanished.

There was an abrupt pause in activity when Jack re-entered the cafe. Kicking the door stop aside and sealing the cafe against the hot outside air, everyone stopped what they were doing to glance at him. Realizing he was the center of attention, Jack gave a nervous smile and wave to his audience.

"Bunnies," he said with a shrug. "We're so emotional."

Sandra and Judy giggled, the sound loud enough to break the tension. And it was all anyone needed for the cafe to start moving again. Judy went from customer to customer with a tray of cookies. Kari followed, her own tray loaded with drinks. Jon and Bobby gave their boss concerned glances as the buck accepted his apron back. Watching him retie it with a thoughtful expression, both exchanged concerned looks as he literally wandered back into the kitchen. Jack was silent as he picked his work back up, his thoughts on both his sisters' words.

She likes me, Jack thought as he shuffled through a stack of orders. I know she does…

…..

"Okay, so what are the rules?" Vivian and Nick were paused at a street light, waiting to walk. Her son huffed and rolled his eyes as his paws adjusted the straps of his backpack.

"Mind my manners, be respectful, no summoning spirits, clean up after myself, don't tell mammals I'm so happy my sister was able to get herself out of her coffin or that she kicked her drug habit, and don't advertise tarot readings."

"Unless…"

"Unless they offer me stupid amounts of money."

"That's my todd." The vixen smiled as they approached the cafe, stepping back to let Nick push the door open. "So, Skye said she'll meet you at the cafe after your shift, so don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Yes, Mom," Nick grumbled as they approached the cafe door.

"And, actually…" she added as he pulled the door open, "don't do anything I would."

Vivian was pleasantly surprised by the cafe. It was busy, but not overwhelmingly so, the line consisting of only three mammals as the rest of the patrons enjoyed their orders. She had expected her daughter to be the only vixen employed so the sight of the pretty corsac on the register was surprise. The cashier gave a quick wave to the two of them before she went back to her customer.

"That's Kari," explained Nick as he led her to the counter. "She and Bobby, the bobcat, go to ZSU."

"And is that Judy?" she asked uncertainly as cream colored bunny doe passed drinks to those waiting. If it was, Vivian was going to have a serious talk with that rabbit about going after someone her own age!

But Nick just laughed. "No, that's Sandra. She goes the Zootopia School of Technology."

"'Bout time you showed up, Slick!"

Both foxes turned to the greeting, the vixen noting how her son's tail started to happily wag behind him. And she was pleasantly surprised by the sight that greeted her. Standing at least a head shorter than Nick, with big, pretty purple eyes that seemed to light up on him, Vivian accurately deduced the doe was the famous Judy.

"For a second, I though you forgot all about us." The bunny smiled at Nick, who took a step closer to her.

"Oh, I could never forget you, Carrots." He gave a shrug and stuffed his paws in his pockets. "I can't have a cu- sweet little bunny like you get bored."

"And I'm Vivian, Nick's mother." The vixen extended a paw to her, enjoying the way both kits blushed. Her grin grew as the bunny accepted her paw and smiled up at her shyly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilde," she greeted politely.

"Oh, please, sweetheart, just call me Vivian." Pulling her paw free, it went to her purse to tug her wallet free. "And I have something I want to show you."

Both teens exchanged glances as a picture was pulled from her wallet and passed to Judy. The doe's face split into a grin when she saw what it was. Her son tensed, before groaning in embarrassment.

"This is Nicky when he was a year old," Vivian explained moving to stand next to Judy. The little fox kit in the photo sat in just his diaper, facing the camera with one little fist rubbing his eye. "He started walking early, and as soon as he did, decided he wasn't going to wear his diapers anymore." Judy burst into laughter as Nick groaned again.

"Mom, please stop!"

Vivian simply smirked at him before turning back to the rabbit. "Every time I turned around, he managed to get out of them. He would run around the house completely naked, laughing and babbling. Took us hours to catch him."

"Mom!" Nick's ears were flat against his head as he glared daggers at her. Vivian tucked the photo away and pulled the todd into her arms. "Did you really have to show her that?"

"Did I have to share an embarrassing photo and story of my son with the female he likes?" She pretended to think about it before smiling down at him. "Yes. Yes, I did. And besides," Vivian leaned towards his ear and lowered her voice to keep Judy from hearing her, "if it keeps you a virgin for the next few years, I'll be telling that story every time I see her."

Nick looked up in alarm but his mother merely winked and pulled away.

"Hey!" came a new voice. The vixen turned to see a striped rabbit buck walking from behind the counter. "There you are! I was wondering when you'd get here."

The buck smiled at the teens before noticing Vivian. "Oh! You must be Mrs. Wilde! Jack Hopps. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He stepped forward with his paw out to shake and a friendly smile on his muzzle.

"And you, too, Mr. Hopps. But please, call me Vivian."

"Only if you call me Jack," he countered with a grin.

She shook his paw, thrilled that her daughter found a job with such a friendly mammal. It made her breathe a sigh of relief. And that had her pausing when she smelled something far too familiar. Or rather, someone. Leaning into his space a bit, she sniffed again. Jack's face became puzzled as she inhaled deeply before she realized who it was she smelled.

"Something tells me we're going to have a long talk soon, Jack," she said finally, pulling back with a smile. The buck's ears drooped as he gulped.

"Right. Yes, ma'am." He gave a strained smile as the vixen flashed every tooth she had at him.

"All right, baby." She started turning to Nick. "Have a good week and don't get into trouble. Judy, I'm counting on you."

"No pressure or anything," the doe joked, earning a little nudge from the todd.

Laughing, Vivian marked her son's ears, causing him to grumble in embarrassment, before heading out with a final wave. Judy was still giggling, though while both males watched the vixen disappear, Nick glaring and Jack with a hint of fear. Giving the doe a slightly annoyed look, the todd looked to her brother and sniffed.

"Yeah," he began, his expression morphing into a smug smile, "real subtle, Jack."

Alarmed, the buck looked down at himself and began to sniff. "What? I don't smell anything!"

Kari, who had a small respite from customers, laughed at that along with Nick and Bobby. Jack frowned as he made his way back to the kitchen, the teens close behind him.

"What is so funny?" he demanded.

"You don't smell anything because you're used to it!" Kari explained. "But you smell like Skye."

"No, I don't!" Jack argued. Judy leaned forward and gave a curious sniff. He looked at her expectantly and shook his head as she shrugged.

"You totally do," Nick said gleefully. "You smell just like my sister and you met our mother, completely reeking of her."

There was an odd stillness that came over Jack as he looked to the young fox. His expression was blank in response to the look of pure joy on Nick's face.

"Oh, fuck me…" he muttered finally, closing his eyes in mortification.

"I think that's my sister's job," came the cheeky response. He laughed as Jack opened his eyes to scowl at him. "Speaking of, where is she?"

"I gave her the day off." The buck walked back into the kitchen, pausing at the apron hooks. One was tossed to the todd who was still grinning at him. "Start on the dishes, please, and then see what Jonny needs from you. And Judy-"

"GIDEON!"

Everyone in the cafe jumped up in alarm as a grey blur darted past them, heading to the front door. Jack, Nick, and Jon rushed to the kitchen entrance just in time to see Judy tackle the pudgy fox todd who walked through the door.

Nick's fur bunched in alarm as the newcomer wrapped his arms around the bunny in a tight hug. The pair laughed and exclaimed in pure delight as he felt jealousy pull a low growl from him. Jack's ears twitched and he grinned at the todd scowling at Gideon. Still beaming, the new todd set Judy down and playfully winced when she punched him on the arm.

"You jerk!" she teased with a smile. "You didn't tell me you were going to be here so early!"

"I did so!" came Gideon's argument. A paw vanished into his pocket and a cell phone was pulled free. Flicking through the messages he turned it to her with a patient look. "See? I messaged you Friday lettin' you know." His smile suddenly dropped and his arms crossed as he surveyed her accusingly. "And you never responded."

Ears dropped as she looked over her shoulder to Nick, who was still eyeing Gideon suspiciously. Realizing she was looking at him, Nick blushed and busied himself with tying his apron on.

"I've been…" Nick's eyes met hers briefly, his heart fluttering as a small smile curled her muzzle and a blush swept her face, "… busy."

Smirking, Gideon looked from her to Nick. "Busy or distracted?"

"Both," came Jack's response. The buck grinned and rolled his eyes at Judy before giving the new todd a hug in greeting. "And you aren't in the city by yourself, are you?"

All three looked to the door as the bells jingled again. "Naw, Mama and

Daddy ain't that trustin'." The vixen who entered ruffled the fur on Gideon's head before being tackled by Judy. "Nice to see you too, darlin'!"

"I'll be darned!" Jack exclaimed with a happy grin. "If it isn't little Daisy Grey!"

Jack brought his paw to his chin as a thoughtful look took over him. "Let's see… Bunnyburrow High graduated on Monday… My brother, Marco, told me you made valedictorian and got a full ride to ZSU… Which means you're touring the college this week!"

"Yes, sir, I am." Daisy smiled as she draped her arm around Judy. "My folks made me take Gid. We're staying with Aunt Marian while we're here."

"You're here a whole week!" Judy bounced with excitement as she grinned from the vixen to the todd.

"Yay…" came a less than enthusiastic response.

Everyone looked to Nick, who stood just off to the side, paws in his pockets and frowning in discontent. Gideon looked to Judy and smirked again before marching to him with an outstretched paw.

"Gideon Grey." Cautiously, he shook the offered paw. "And you must be Nick."

Nick's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked from the friendly todd to the now furiously blushing bunny doe.

"Judy wouldn't shut up about you," the new todd explained. "I tell ya, it was the most adorable thing. I ain't never seen her smitten with anyone before."

"Gideon!" Judy groaned, tugging her ears over her eyes as Nick looked over at her.

Daisy laughed while Jack rolled his eyes. Gideon released Nick's paw and joined his sister in her laughter.

"You talked about me?" came Nick's breathless reply.

"She wouldn't shut up about ya." Gideon laughed as Judy gave him a death glare from behind her ears.

"Well, I'm glad you both came in today." Jack interrupted as he turned to Daisy. "Wanna earn some cash tonight? My sitter fell through and I need someone to keep an eye on these two tonight."

Both Nick and Judy looked at him in alarm.

"What do you mean you need someone to keep an eye on us?" demanded Nick

"We're not babies, Jack! Where are you going that's so important?" added Judy.

"Skye and I have a business thing tonight and last time we left you unsupervised, you both got arrested," the buck explained, making his way back to the kitchen.

"Daisy, I can pay you if you can babysit."

"Love to, Jack, but Aunt Marian has a thing planned for us." Daisy looked apologetically at the rabbit. "Sorry."

"No worries!" Jack said with a grin. "I can ask Clawhauser. And Gideon, my assistant and I need some help in the kitchen if you're up for it." The rabbit winked at the fox, who turned to his sister with pleading eyes. Daisy smiled at her brother and nodded.

"Works for me." She was about to turn and walk away when she paused and her ears shot. Eyes snapping over to the bunny doe, she pointed a paw at her. "What do you mean, 'you both got arrested'? Little miss goody two-paws Judy was arrested for somethin'?"

Nick stepped forward and nodded vigorously. "She attacked me. Viciously, too, I might add. Seriously, it should be a crime for how cute it was. That's why they had to arrest her. Better safe than sorr- OW!"

The todd grinned down at the bunny, rubbing the spot on his arm where her fist had landed.

"I wouldn't have attacked you if you hadn't provoked me," Judy said with a smirk.

"Aww, but you're so cu- adorable when you're provoked." Nick grinned as he took a step closure to her.

Crossing her arms, the bunny doe laughed as Gideon and Daisy looking on with interest.

"Careful, Slick. We both remember what happened in the park." Tilting her head, she gave him a playful wink. "And at camp."

Copying her pose, the todd's tail wagged happily. "Bring it, Carrots." Quick as a flash, his paws shot out to pull her against him as he tickled her sides. Judy exploded into laughter, both teens oblivious to the trio watching.

"Ha! Not so tough now, are you?" demanded Nick with a grin as he hauled Judy closer to him.

"You're cheating!" the bunny cried through laughter, tears streaming down her face as she tried to pull free. "Th-this is no fair!"

"WILDE IS THE VICTOR!" Nick was laughing with her as he continued his assault. Though their mirth petered out at the sound of a throat being cleared.

Still laughing, they pulled apart and blushed as they faced Jack again. The buck eyed them with a bland look, before shaking his head and turning to a stunned Gideon and Daisy.

"And they wonder why I won't let them hang out without a sitter." With a sigh, Jack jerked his head towards the kitchen. "Whenever you're ready, Gid, I got some pretty exciting projects waiting. Nick, dishes please. And Judy, will you go see what Kari and Sandra need? I'm going to head upstairs really quick to grab my other set of fondant tools for you, Gideon. Head to the kitchen and wait for me there. I'll see you later, Daisy!"

Daisy's eyes narrowed on Nick, a thoughtful look crossing her face as she absently waved good-bye to the buck walking towards the stairs.

"I'll see you later, Gid. We have to meet back up with Aunt Marian at six." Daisy's eyes moved from Nick to her brother, who was looking at him with as much curious speculation as his sister.

"Later, Daisy."

Shifting uncomfortably, Nick did as he was told, Gideon falling into step beside him.

"So," Gideon began, "Wilde, huh?"

Furrowing his brow, Nick looked over at him suspiciously. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Nothin'," was the hurried response as the new todd accepted an apron from Kari and followed Nick through the kitchen entrance. Jon looked up from the order stack and gave his normal cheerful wave.

"Have fun, Gideon!" called Judy from the lobby, sparking another flare of jealousy from Nick.

Gideon laughed at Nick's reaction. "Calm down, lover todd. I'm seein' someone. And if I ever wanted to be with Judy, I'd be with her by now. That bunny only has eyes for you."

A flush spread across his body at the statement. Looking at Gideon briefly, Nick looked over his shoulder towards the lobby, pausing in his step. His eyes sought out Judy, smiling as he watched her bounce through the lobby, cleaning and gathering used dishes.

His tail started to wag as he watched her move, dancing to whatever song she had in her head. The doe paused as Jack came back into view and muttered something Nick couldn't quite hear. Both bunnies laughed, Jack's eyes meeting Nick's through the order window, causing the todd to blush and look away. Jack merely smiled and shook his head before continuing to the kitchen.

The buck adjusted his apron and held the fondant tools out for Nick to wash when he realized the kit's attention was back out in the lobby. With the fox's body tense and ears splayed, Jack felt his nose twitch in nervousness.

"You ok, kit?" he asked, Jon and Gideon looking from the order pile up in curiosity.

When Nick didn't answer, everyone followed his gaze.

Judy stood next to a table talking to another todd, this one not much older than Nick, his fur an attractive combination of white, grey, and black. The other three males gave slight winces at the stranger's obvious interest in Judy and looked back at Nick who was growling slightly. Though all signs of aggression were exchanged for obvious shock as they turned back just in time to see the new todd lean over the table, pen in paw. Whatever he had written (and everyone had a good idea of what it was) was passed to her with a charmingly bashful shrug and shy smile.

Turning pink and ears falling down her back, Judy looked down before giving a hesitant nod and small smile of her own.

"Wow…" Gideon whistled, as he watched the new todd shrug (smile still intact) before turning to leave. "Who's that?"

Seeming to sense he was being watched, the stranger scanned the cafe as he leaned against the front door. Smug, golden brown met hostile green, which widened when the other todd grinned and winked at Nick.

"Kody," Nick growled.

He watched Judy look at the paper Kody had given her before crumbling it in her paw. His ears perked a bit as she tossed it into an empty coffee cup still on the table before looking up. Their eyes met before Nick felt himself blush and turn away. Taking a full bus tub to the back, the teen refused to make eye contact with anyone while he prepped the sinks.

But the gentle clatter of dishes had him jolting out of his temporary daze. Forcing a smile, he looked at her.

"Dish delivery," she joked, setting the new tub next to him on the floor.

With a laugh, he nodded at her attempt to lighten the mood. "Thanks. I'll get to it."

Turning back to his task, Nick waited for her to leave, very aware that everyone in the kitchen had also paused to watch. Looking back up, he noticed she hadn't moved.

"What?" he asked, watching her gnaw her lip.

Looking over at her brother, Gideon, and Jon, she looked back at him, opening her mouth to speak only to close it again.

"Good talk," Jon muttered, earning a glare from the doe.

Nick gave a small laugh as she turned to meet his eyes again. Quick as a flash, she jumped up and caught his lips, a paw moving to his cheek to keep him from pulling away. Like that first kiss at the party, the world fell away.

Jack's displeased grumble, Gideon and Jon's teasing whoops, the rapidly filling sinks…

His world was melted and floated away. All there was, was Judy. Giving him his first, real, un-hustled, better-than-fantasy, all-encompassing kiss. But she pulled away much too soon, leaving him so dazed that he fell forward a bit when she did.

With a dreamy mutter, he opened his eyes (never realizing they'd closed) and gave a dopy smile which she returned.

"What was that for?" he asked softly.

Judy shrugged. "No reason."

Both teens blushed at the sound of a clearing throat, turning to see Jack glaring at Nick.

"Not at work, ok, kits?" he said with a roll of his eyes. Passing some fondant to

Gideon, he and Jon set about teaching him the basics. "Let's keep this a 'no make out zone'."

"Yeah, Jack." Jon piped up with a grin, looking over at his boss. "No making out at work."

He was ignored as Judy gave Nick one last shy smile before bouncing back to the lobby. Nick smiled after her, catching Gideon's proud grin before their work resumed. Shutting off the water and sorting through the stack, Nick's eyes landed on a piece of crumpled paper tucked into a coffee mug. Plucking it free and smoothing it out, jealousy didn't rise as he read the note.

**'Call me, gorgeous! Kody 443-737-4821'**

And it was with no small amount of smug, he balled it up and threw it away.

Mine, he thought, grinning as it landed in the trash.

…..

Emma loved her life.

She had a great job she loved and was kicking tail in. Her family was doing better and learning to talk things out instead of starting wars. She was meeting more mammals and expanding her client base, as well as making new friends.

Sure, her ego stung a bit at Jack's rejection. And it was shocking to see the sort of female he had picked for himself. But this Skye lady seemed smart and nice enough. Something told the doe Jack had met his mate. And for all of her flaws, Emma was big enough to step back and admit she had lost.

Plenty of rabbits in the burrow, she thought wistfully to herself as she walked down the hall to her team meeting.

"Excuse me!" came a slightly harassed voice. Emma turned to see a moving filing cabinet rushing towards her. Amber eyes, watery with exertion, were peeking out from a gap between binders and two black ears stuck up straight from the pile.

The cabinet stumbled closer, a few binders and pages coming free falling to the floor. "Oh, dear! Now I've done it."

"Here, let me help you." Emma kneeled to scoop up the things, ignoring how the pile of books and papers lowered themselves so they could be replaced.

Instead, she gingerly removed more of them, stacking them neatly against her hip. A surprisingly handsome face beamed at her in thanks as the now manageable pile was shifted in his paws. Now able to see him better, the doe took in his rumpled white shirt and black tie, paired with nicely pressed black slacks. A pair of wire framed glasses were perched on his head, where a thicker patch of his sleek, black fur grew longer than the rest.

Sighing with relief, the rabbit buck's look turned bashful. "You don't happen to know where conference room A is, do you? I just started and I can't seem to get my bearings."

Still off kilter, courtesy of her new companion, Emma nodded and smiled back.

"Follow me. I'm heading there myself."

"Thanks! I think I've been circling this hall, like, five times." He obediently followed her. "I'm Milo. Milo Harreson."

"Emma Longrass." She felt a smile grow larger as he held out an elbow to tap against her own. "Welcome to Paddington Marketing."

"Thanks, Emma." For a moment, the pair walked in silence, until Milo stumbled to a stop with an annoyed expression on his face. "Oh, no. I think I left my glasses in my office."

Laughing, Emma's free paw reached over to knock them from the top of his head to over his eyes.

"Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise. Grinning at her, he nodded. "I like you."

Holding the door open for him, she laughed again as he moved his foot to keep it from closing.

I think I'm going to like you, too, she thought.


	13. Our First Date

A/N: As always, thank you to kt_valmiri for editing and ScaraMedn for beta reading! Enjoy, everyone!

….

Skye grinned down at her little brother who was pouting on Jack's couch. Her eyes moved from young todd to the overly excited cheetah fawning over him and Judy. The doe was grinning at their sitter, the vixen having no doubt she was just as excited about the evening as the cat.

"Oh! Em! Goodness!" Benjamin Clawhauser gushed as he pulled out a stack of movies from his bag, adding them to his tower of board games on the coffee table. "We're going to have so much fun! I have games, music, magazines, snacks! We'll order pizza and make s'mores! We can even have a dance off! Ooooooo! I'm so excited!"

"You're a brave mammal for being willing to watch these two, Benji," called Jack from the hall. Walking into the living, the buck kept his eyes down as he straightened his sweater. "You're going to have your paws full."

The grin on Skye's face became slightly bashful when the buck looked up and saw her. His entire body went still, his ears standing straight up on his head as his eyes took her in. Once again, she applauded her mother's skills in picking out clothes. Her black skirt and sapphire blue blouse complemented his own dark jeans and white button up. Casual, with a hint of class. He looked good enough to drag back to the bedroom for several days.

It was only the fact that Ben's voice echoed loudly that had them remembering everyone else in the room.

"Oh, don't be silly, Jackie! Judy is an absolute delight!" Benji's fur bunched as his chubby face lit up on Nick. "Oooooohhhhhh! I don't think I've ever met such a little fox before! Fox kits are so cuuuuute!"

Nick scrunched down in his seat further, looking disgruntled. "I'm not little…" he grumbled under his breath. "Or cute."

Judy laughed at his reaction. "Oh, how the tables have turned!"

With a glare at the bunny doe, the todd crossed his arms and looked annoyed at the situation, though a smile tugged at his muzzle. Ben merely bounced around as he did inventory on what he had brought, his smile never leaving his face. Completely charmed, Skye knew why Jack had chosen him. She just hoped her brother wouldn't make his life too miserable.

"I'm expecting you to be on your very best behavior, young todd," she lectured as Jack came to stand next to her.

"Same goes for you, Judes." His little sister's face flashed with shocked outrage as her mouth fell open, Jack cutting her off before she could retort. "And don't give me that 'I would never!' look. I've known you for thirteen years."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It means you're exactly like me." He smirked at Judy's frown. Turning to Skye, he gave her another look over, the skin under his fur tinged pink. "And you look… disgusting."

Skye snorted and gave him a playful push, the buck smiling.

"Seriously though," he continued, catching her paw and pulling her towards him. "You're beautiful."

With a shy smile, she put her paws on his shoulders and lowered her muzzle to his. "Thank you." Her lips lightly touched his before they were interrupted again.

"AWWWWW!"

Starting, Jack and Skye simultaneously dropped their ears and looked over at their siblings. Nick and Judy snickered at them while Ben beamed with his eyes aglow.

"Ahem…" Jack cleared his throat and ran a paw down his crimson ears. "Call us if you need anything. Judy, if you and Nick hang out in your room, door stays open. Ben, don't let them out of your sight."

"And you," Skye turned her focus to her brother. "Best. Behavior. I mean it. If you cause Ben any trouble, it's bedpans for you. Got it."

Rolling his eyes, Nick held up two fingers. "Best behavior. Scouts honor."

With a final stern glance at the teens, Jack and Skye headed for the door. As soon as it was shut, Ben bounced back in front of them, grinning happily.

"I'm so excited! Are you two ready to have some fun?"

Nick repressed a sigh as Judy sat up straight and gave the cheetah a sweet smile.

"Actually, Ben. I'm a little hungry." Nick gave her a look out the corner of his eye. Judy just smiled at their sitter whose face lit up.

"I'll order some pizza!"

"I think it's my sweet tooth that's really starving. I was thinking more like ice cream."

Ben looked hesitant. "I don't know, Judy. I'm trying to cut back."

"And you've been doing such a great job. So, treat yourself."

Ben's face morphed into a longing look at the idea of all the treats he had denied himself lately.

"Weeeell…" he began hesitantly. "I guess one cheat night wouldn't hurt!"

Judy grinned and bounced off the couch. "I'll get ice cream and chocolate syrup! Nick, you grab the cupcakes from the counter."

"I'll get the bowls and spoons!" Ben squealed. "And I'll put on some music!"

Nick laughed at their enthusiasm before doing as he was told. Maybe the night wouldn't be all that bad.

….

Less than five minutes into the seminar, it became very obvious the mouse on the stage was not Marcus Lemousis. A quick examination of their tickets confirmed the spelling of his name was wrong. Deciding to stick it out, the buck and vixen shrugged and took their seats. And what a mistake it was.

Jack and Skye sat in their chairs, visibly cringing at the mouse enthusiastically speaking on stage.

The buck leaned over to her to whisper, "I was expecting this to be a bit more…"

"Business like," she supplied, "and less…"

"Ponzi scheme."

Both mammals shared a chuckle behind their paws before Jack motioned for her to leave her seat. Creeping along the aisle, Skye reached behind her and felt him grasp her paw. Giggling and keeping low, they snuck into the center aisle and darted for the exit. Thankfully, the Royal Palm Hotel had a spacious and busy lobby. No one really noticed the pair running away from the conference.

Skye was still laughing as they raced towards the lobby bar, the hippo bartender in his finery nodding a greeting to her and Jack before filling two glasses with ice and water.

"Wow!" the vixen laughed as she climbed up to take a seat on a bar stool. "That was a huge waste of time. How much did those set you back, Jack?"

With a leap, Jack landed next to her, still grinning. "I didn't pay for them. We have Sandra to thank for that." The hippo bartender gave them a confused look before he set water glasses in front of the pair. The buck winked at her before turning his grin to the larger mammal. "And no sense in stopping the party. Barkeep, a bottle of your finest Pinot Noir, please."

Nodding, the hippo turned to the wine shelf behind him.

"Very classy, Mr. Hopps," Skye grinned as the bartender set two glasses and an open wine bottle in front of them.

"Classy is my middle name, gorgeous." With a grin, the buck poured them each a healthy amount before setting the bottle aside and raising his glass. "Miss Wilde. Thank you for joining me here tonight. It's not the fancy, romantic night of dinner and dancing that I wish I had treated you to. But I can't complain. That was a very… entertaining… Marcus LeMousis impersonator. And, after everything, I still get enjoy your company. Not a bad first date."

Her glass was still touching his as she smiled at him. "Date?"

"I mean," Jack smiled nervously and fidgeted on his stool. "I understand if that's a bit too forward… I mean, we've known each other for a couple weeks so I understand. But, being here, with you, tonight… It just feels like… well…"

"A date," she finished, leaning towards him. The paw not holding her wine glass moved to his jaw. "I think I can live with this being our official first date."

Their lips had just barely brushed when they both heard the not so quiet scoff of a mammal next to them. She was prepared to just tune out whomever the nosy mammal was, but she felt Jack's ears fall down his back as the mammal huffed again. He tensed, his lips still pressed to hers, before pulling back.

"Hey," she whispered to him softly. His brows were furrowed in anger as he began to turn his head towards the intruder. Skye's paw slid from his jaw to his cheek to keep his attention on her. "Ignore it. It's just you and me. On our first date."

A slow smile spread on his face at her words before the buck nodded and kissed her again.

"Disgusting!" Jack and Skye gently broke apart and rolled their eyes at each other before raising their glasses to sip at their wine. "Hey, perverts!"

Taking determined sips, they exchanged head shakes. "Ignore it," Skye repeated.

"Hey," came the angry, slightly slurred voice again. "I'm talking to YOU, stripes!"

"But we're not talking to him, handsome," Skye murmured to Jack, who laughed with her. Though their laughter died when a firm nudge landed on his shoulder.

Jaw set and face fighting to stay blank, Jack turned to look at the mammal who interrupted them. "Can I help you?" he asked the burly ram glowering down at him.

"Yeah you can help me," he snapped, looking over at the vixen with disgust. "You can help me but not making my wife and I throw up our dinner. Have some respect! I'm sure bunny does can be an easy lay, but that doesn't give you the right to shove your tongue down the throat of a pred in good society! Have some decency."

"Sir," all three mammals looked to the bartender who was eying the ram sternly. "I'm going to have to ask you to return to your seat. Any issues with other patrons can be reported to management, who are equipped and trained to handle them. So, please, stop bothering our other guests and return to your chair."

Casting one last glare at the vixen and buck, the ram made his way back over to his wife, the small ewe haughtily adjusting her glasses and turning her nose up at them.

"I apologize for the disturbance," the bartender continued, bringing their attention back to him. He gave them a small smile. "If there's anything more you need, please let me know."

"Thanks," Skye leaned forward to read his name tag, "Joseph. I think we're okay for now. Right, Jack?"

"Here's to you, Joseph!" Jack raised his glass grinning as Skye copied him. "May the world be filled to the brim with wonderful mammals like you."

Joseph grinned and nodded before moving down the bar to continue helping his patrons.

"Sir!" The shrill voice had the couple looking over at the ewe, who shot them a venomous look while her husband stared daggers in their direction. "We would like to speak to the manager, please! NOW!"

Before Joseph could respond, a well-dressed deer buck strode up to stand next to the sheep couple.

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Derek and I'm the bar manager. What seems to be the problem."

"The problem is the lack of decency this bar seems to have," the ram began while his wife nodded in agreement. "I work hard and pull double shifts to treat my wife to a nice evening at one of the best bars and restaurants in Zootopia. And we have to spend the night with those two freaks of nature practically rutting next to us? That, DEREK, is a disgrace to this city!"

"Oh, my gods! It was one kiss," Skye interrupted, her raised voice catching their attention. Jack swiveled in his seat to face them and crossed his arms as he glared back at the sheep. Skye's paw rose to his shoulder as she drew herself up behind him. "It's not like we were ripping each other's clothes off!"

"It was disgusting!" The ewe shot back. Even the wool piled on top her head seemed to shake with anger. "Your parents ought to be ashamed of both of you. Your relationship is everything that's wrong with this world and I live for the day when these stupid politicians wise up and finally ban you deviants from the rest of us decent mammals!"

"Oh, yeah!" scoffed Jack as he jumped from his seat and took a step towards them. "You're so decent you have to jam your nose into other mammals' business and screech about a something you know absolutely nothing about. Yeah, you're a real hero, lady!"

Derek moved to stand between the two couples and raised he's hooves. "Please, let's calm down. I would be very upset to have to remove anyone from the hotel. So, if you'll just "

"Don't you speak to my wife like that, stripes!" The ram jumped from his spot and stepped as close to Jack as he could. "At least I found me a lady I can spend the rest of my life with. Unlike you, who's probably just satisfying some perverted kink." His beady black eyes moved from the buck's outraged face, to Skye's shocked blues. "You heard me, sweetheart! All this bunny wants from you is what's between your legs. All these bunnies are nothing but whores "

Jack had seen old nature shows and dramatizations of how prey and predator were before everyone became civil. He had always been impressed at the speed at which everyone seemed to move. Skye put them to shame. One moment, she was tense and angry on her stool behind him. The next she was leaping from her seat in a perfect pounce, landing gracefully on the other side of a very startled Derek.

The ram's eyes went wide with shock as she grabbed the closest filled glass and splashed in his face followed by a sharp, open pawed slap.

To his credit, the ram wasn't surprised for long. His eyes narrowed in rage as he drew back his hoof, only to have the vixen dodge, the ram's punch lining up beautifully with Derek's groin. The deer buck gasped in pain, Jack gave a gaff in amused disbelief, while the sheep couple gave bleats of horror.

"I think we'll be going now, Joseph," Jack said, pulling some bills from his wallet and tossing them on the bar top. Skye hurriedly rejoined him, both noticing the group of security guards headed their way. "Like, now. Keep the chaaannnggge!"

The last bit was drawn out as Skye grabbed his paw and ran towards the exit, laughing as the ewe and ram were halted from following. A pair of guards went after the bunny and fox, who ginned at each other and picked up their pace.

"Hey, Jack?" asked Skye as they ran towards the hotel lobby.

"Yeah, gorgeous?" The pair of them ducked under the outstretched hooves of a waiting giraffe, the security guard uselessly shouting at them to stop as they easily passed her.

"How much was that bottle of wine?"

The doors were in sight, blocked by a tall, burley lion scowling at them. Glancing at each other, they ran even faster towards him and lowered their heads in a charge. At the sight of the two fast approaching small mammals, the lion gave a very un lion like squeal and moved out of the way.

Still running as they burst through the double doors and hit the sidewalk, Jack laughed and shrugged. "NO CLUE!"

Their laughter was breathless as they continued to run, the guards that had originally been after them stumbling to a halt just outside the exit. A warthog doubled over and panted before looking at the hyena next to him. Both turned to glare at the embarrassed lion.

"Thanks for your help, Tom!" growled the hyena sarcastically.

"Yeah," agreed the warthog. "Your bravery knows no bounds."

Tom hung his head and shame. "Sorry…" With disappointed shakes of their heads, they looked at where their targets had vanished. After a moment, the trio turned from now bunny and fox free sidewalk, and headed back inside.

….

Skye didn't know what had come over her. One moment, they had been running away from the Palm Hotel security guards. Now they were several blocks away and ducked into the first alley they had seen. The pair gasped for breath and laughed as they peeked around the corner, the vixen vaguely amused that Nick's trouble-making streak seemed to be genetic.

 _Huh_ , she thought as she looked at Jack with a smile. _Who knew Mom passed on the hoodlum gene?_

The buck was panting lightly, before he met her gaze with a grin of his own. His blue eyes were bright with amusement as he looked at her. Her heartbeat sped up as their paws reached for each other. Jack pushed her against the wall, his lips capturing hers as his paws rose to cup her face. Her arms slid around his neck easily, one leg lifting to pull him close and keep him there.

They couldn't get enough of each other. Lips parting only briefly to pull air into their lungs before they connected again. A loud growl from both their stomachs had the couple giggling into the shared space. Parting and pressing their foreheads together, they smiled and breathed each other in.

"Food?" he asked with a smile.

"Food," she agreed. Jack's paws slid down her body as he prepared to push himself away. Only to be pulled back in for another kiss. When she finally released him, Skye smiled at the dreamy expression on his face. "And afterwards, maybe I'll treat you to dessert."

Gently moving passed him, letting her paw trail down his chest, she made her way back onto the street.

"Yes, ma'am." Paw in paw, with goofy smiles on their muzzles, they carried on with their first date.

…

Nick and Judy looked cautiously at the large cheetah collapsed on the couch. The furniture gave a small groan at his weight.

They'd had an eventful night with Ben popping in a movie that was quickly ignored in favor of new music he had put on his phone. The fox had dissolved into laughter as Judy and Ben bounced around the living room, their 'dancing' bringing tears to Nick's eyes. After a couple hours, and several s'mores and bowls of ice cream, the large cat had flopped onto the couch, panting.

"Whew!" he gasped, closing his eyes as he tilted his head back, tongue lolling out of his muzzle. "Give me a minute, guys. Just gotta catch my breath!"

Judy watched his breath even out before a loud snore cut through the silence. With snorts of laughter, the teens looked at each other.

"And he's out like a light," Nick murmured, creeping from his place on the floor to stand next to the doe. "Very clever, Carrots. Sugar him up and let him crash. So diabolical! I mean, what would Jack think if he found out?"

He grinned at her when she gave him a hip bump. "Easy there, Slick. I go down, I'm taking you with me."

"There's a threat." His smile softened when he looked over her. "So… what now?"

"I want to show you something."

Perplexed, he watched as she made her way to the door. Following her as it was pulled open, both teens peeped downstairs. The Perk was still open, though most of its patrons were calling it a night. Turning away from the hum of the mammals closing up shop, Judy shot him a grin and crept towards the second set of stairs leading to the roof.

"C'mon," she whispered as she moved up the stairs.

Bemused, Nick closed the door quietly and followed. The bunny paused at the roof door and grinned at him.

"Ready?" she asked, her grin growing wider as he enthusiastically nodded his head. "Okay… Voila!"

She pushed the door open and stood to the side. Nick's eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. An obstacle course stood in front of them, an intense combination of monkeybars, balance beams, rope ladders, and agility tires. It was an impressive set up. One that had the todd asking a very important question.

"How the hell did I beat you?" His eyes were narrowed in confusion as he turned them to her.

With a sigh, Judy gave her head a shake. "I ask myself that question every day. Wanna go for a round?"

"Get ready to lose again," he shot back, racing her towards it.

Nick was the first one on the rope ladder, giving a loud laugh as he landed on it, only to have it cut short by a small body tackling him.

"Hey!" he shouted as Judy climbed up his back and stepped on his head. She pulled herself up onto the monkeybars. "That's cheating!"

But Judy just laughed from where she stood. "You know there's no shame in calling it quits! I thought you foxes would be good at this."

"Watch it up there little bunny!" came his response, giving her a mock frown. "Keep talking like that I'll have to gobble you up."

"You'd have to catch me first, Slick." And without another word, she moved further through the obstacle course. Nick was right behind her, leaping from bar to bar and climbing up and down ropes. He was always just a claw's length behind of her, something she took great pride in. But like he anticipated, she paused just a bit too long to gloat.

"Gotcha!" The todd tackled her to the ground, earning a loud groan from her followed by laughter.

"Get off me, you dumb fox," she exclaimed through her giggles. "You weigh a thousand pounds!"

"Ha ha ha! Knock me off if you can, Fluff!" Nick grinned down at her as his fingers dug into her sides, making her laugh harder.

"Yo yo you're the worst!" Judy squirmed under him, her paws on his shoulders, trying to wiggle away.

"Oh! You don't mean that."

Nick laughed and eased up on his tickling. Judy's laughter died down in equal measure though her smile remained. Her paws were still on his shoulders and small body tucked under him. Nick's paws stayed still on her side, his thumbs resting lightly on her belly. Both teens smiled into each others eyes their muzzles moving closer, eyes falling shut when they felt their lips brush together

"Oh, my gods!"

The loud, panting exclamation startled them out of their trace, both their eyes going to the roof doorway. Benji leaned against it, panting, obviously fighting to keep from doubling over. Nick and Judy scrambled to the feet, both blushing furiously.

"You… *gasp*… nearly… *pant*… gave me… *wheeze*… a heart attack!" Pushing away from the door frame, he staggered over to where they now stood. "Don't ever do that again! Jack will kill me if he knows you two snuck off."

"Sorry, Ben," they muttered together, eyes cast to the floor. Benji finally caught his breath enough to smile happily at them.

"Oooooooohhhhhh!" he squealed, paws coming up to cover his smile. Suddenly snatching them both up in a hug, he gave a little wiggle of joy. "I just can't stay angry with you two! You're both so "

"Don't say it!" Judy gasped out. Both teens were released just as suddenly as they were caught.

"Oh, alright!" Benji chirped, still beaming at them. "Let's get inside before Jack and Skye come back. And remember! Nothing happened."

"Right," agreed Nick, looking over at Judy who walked towards the roof door just in front of him. "Nothing happened."

Judy smiled over her shoulder at him, eyes filled with disappointment. "Nothing at all."

…

The city was as dark as it could get. Mammals were fewer on the streets, shops and restaurants waved off their last patrons, and one by one, the lights from the surrounding homes flicked off. An early summer breeze swept through the silent streets, adding just the right amount of romance to the night when paired with glow of the street lights.

Skye was walking on air.

Paw in paw, they savored the feeling of closeness as they bantered easily. It was later than they expected to be out and part of her worried about any potential trouble Nick would be in. One never knew with her youngest brother. But those worries moved further and further away every time she caught Jack's eye.

"So," began the buck, with a smile. "You always dreamed of be a GM for an independent coffee shop in Savanna Central?"

Grinning, Skye shrugged. "I actually never had a dream for what I was going to be when I grew up. I couldn't decide."

"Just kinda fell into the coffee shop biz, huh?"

"Something like that. It's just always lively and changing. I like the work and the mammals I've met," her eyes flicked over to him coyly, " and work for." Jack's blush was as visible as his happy grin. Nudging him with her elbow, she moved closer to him as they walked. "So… What did Jack Hopps want to be when he grew up?"

"Ahhh…" The paw not holding hers reached up to scratch his neck as his blush intensified. "Well, I knew I always wanted to be a cook or baker. Something that had to do with food."

"Buuuut…"

With a bashful shrug, he continued. "My Pop -pop used to tell us his war stories. He was part of this elite team of government agents, always running around the world doing these amazing things. He made it seem like they were spies. Pop- pop said he had code name and everything. It was all very 007."

"I'm guessing you use to pretend to be part of the action?" They shared a laugh as he nodded.

"I had a name picked out and everything."

Pausing her steps, Skye's jaw dropped. "What was it?" He shook his head vigorously. "C'mon! Tell me! I'm not going to judge or laugh. I promise."

Releasing her paw, Jack bit his lip and looked down shyly as he muttered to himself. Skye quirked her eyebrows and leaned her head in towards him. Giving him another small nudge and encouraging smile, she waited patiently for him to repeat himself.

"My code name was Jack Savage," he said, his voice still a bit soft. Looking up at her finally, he cleared his throat and kept walking. "You're laughing."

"I would never," she countered, still smiling and taking his paw again as they continued their walk. "I like it. It has a ring to it. And I think you would have been a great spy."

"Aww, now you're just trying to butter me up."

"Is it working?"

"Almost too well." They laughed again, walking closer together.

Finally, they came to the darkened door of the Perks.

"I had an amazing time, Skye," Jack began as he pulled his keys out.

"I did, too, Jack." She watched him toy with his keys, seeming to think unlocking the door would end their night. Stepping closer, her paws slid up his chest as her muzzle dipped until her lips met his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she vaguely heard his keys drop as he pulled her closer.

"If you're interested," he panted when they parted slightly for air, "I know a spot really, REALLY close we go to for a night cap."

"Lead the way then, tiger," she purred back before nibbling his bottom lip and wrapping her tail around his waist.

Groaning, he pulled away and stooped to grab his keys off the ground. Hurriedly unlocking the door, while Skye's paws and lips did their best to distract him, Jack stumbled through the door and disarmed the alarm. After making sure both were reset and locked, he pulled her in for another passionate kiss before dragging her upstairs.

Their desire cooled marginally at Jack's apartment door, remembering Nick, Judy, and Ben on the other side. Exchanging one last, heated kiss, they straightened their clothing out before Jack let them in. Apologies for being late died on their lips after seeing what they walked into.

"Oh my," Skye murmured, her voice tinged with amusement.

Ben lay sprawled on the floor, an open magazine draped over his face barely muffling his snores. An upturned popcorn bowl lay next to him, its contents surrounding him. The coffee table was covered in empty pizza boxes and ice cream bowls, stray marshmallows and open bags of chips and pretzels. On the tv, the menu for a DVD was displayed.

Both adults turned their attention to their siblings. Nick and Judy lay asleep on the couch. The todd was sitting up against the back of it, his head resting atop of Judy's. The little doe was snuggled against him, his tail in her arms.

"I'll get a blanket and pillow for Nick if you get Judy," Jack whispered after shutting off the tv then tiptoeing away to the hall closet.

The vixen stepped over Ben and around the coffee table. Judy barely stirred when Skye gently pulled her brother's tail from the doe's arms and scooped her from the couch. In his sleep, Nick grumbled in protest before falling over and settling back into sleep. Jack returned with the pillow and blanket, smiling and gesturing down the hallway towards Judy's room. Turning his attention back to the sleeping todd on the couch, he carefully slid his paw under Nick's head before settling it on the pillow.

Nuzzling into it, the todd was covered with the blanket as Skye came back from Judy's room.

"... camping trip this weekend, Dad… tent has holes…" Jack cocked his head at Nick's sleep talk, before turning to look over at Skye. The vixen's eyes grew distant and sad, her body frozen in place with her arms crossed.

Concerned, Jack walked over to her and put his paws on her elbows. She smiled sadly at him, grateful he didn't ask her what was wrong.

"He was one of Nick's scout leaders," she explained, letting herself be led to his bedroom. Jack let her enter first, gesturing for her to take a seat on the bed. "The day he…" She shook her head and looked down at her paws. "He was going to take the pack camping that weekend. Nick said it was the last thing Dad ever said to him. I didn't know he still dreamed about it."

He let her go silent, let her get lost in her thoughts, but still reached out to grasp her paw. All he wanted was to let her know he was there. Something she seemed grateful for when she looked up and smiled at him. Jack smiled back and scooted up to the head of the bed, still holding her paw.

Following after, she lay on her side facing him.

"Tell me about him?" Jack asked with a soft smile, passing his paw over her face tenderly.

"How much time you got?"

"For you, beautiful," he murmured back, pulling her into his arms, "I have all the time in the world."

…

The trauma ward at Tundra General was non stop busy. One of the weather generators had malfunctioned, causing a section in Tundra town to warm considerably. The issue was caught fairly quickly but once it was working again, the drastic change in temperature had turned the roads into sheets of black ice. Several unsuspecting cars lost control, resulting in TG radioing for any and all available paws to help out.

Vivian was on her first shift. She had set herself up in her hotel room earlier. The same hotel, in fact, that she and Matthew had stayed in for their wedding night. Mercifully not the same room, though. But it still put her into an emotional coma.

Which, given her profession, was a blessing.

Not long after Matthew's death, Vivian found she had problems helping her fellow foxes. No matter their fur color or stature, each one reminded her of him. Considering the area of TundraTown where the generator had failed was sixty percent fox, the vixen nurse needed that coma to survive the sea of red fur she now faced.

She was walking beside the stretcher carrying one such todd, eyes straight ahead as she and her fellow nurse headed towards the patient's new room with the doctor right behind them.

"This one here, nurse." The lioness doctor stepped back to let the smaller predators carry on through the door. "I'm passing his chart onto Dr. Beest. He's a better… stature for this room."

Vivian smiled at taller mammal and saluted. "I'll fill him in when he gets here, too. I'm going to get Mr. Fax settled, then I'll be right back down."

With a smile and nod, the doctor went on her way leaving the patient to Vivian and a pig sow. Carefully, both females transferred him from the stretcher to the bed. The sow was paged, leaving just Vivian to take his vitals. Pressing her stethoscope to his chest, she listened closely and frowned at the rapid heartbeat.

"Don't stress too much about that," rasped the injured todd, his swollen eyes on her and pained smile on his muzzle. "It beats that fast when there's a pretty vixen nearby."

"And don't worry about my gagging," Vivian replied with a smile of her own. "It's only because I'm lactose intolerant. So, cut back on the cheese, please."

The todd gave a pained laugh. "Ouch! And here I thought it was a car accident that made me hurt this badly." Still smiling, he closed his eyes and sighed as Vivian continued to check his vitals. "So, Nurse Wilde… any relation to Officer Matthew Wilde?"

His eyes opened to the best of their ability when he realized she'd froze. Understanding bloomed when he saw her turn away from him.

"I met him once," he continued quietly. "He was a good todd. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you…" Neither spoke another word, save for Vivian explaining how the various remotes in the room worked.

Dr. Beest had just entered when Vivian was finishing up. After briefing the badger on what had been done so far with the todd, he gave her a smile and said she could head back to the trauma ward. Giving the patient a polite nod and smile, she turned to the door.

"Nurse Wilde?" The pained voice had her pausing before she turned back to the wounded todd. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd be honored to enjoy a cup of coffee with you. As a thank you for taking such good care of me. And as a bribe to hear all about the life of one of my heroes."

At a loss for words, Vivian looked at the ground briefly before raising her eyes back to him. Dr. Beest watched with amused curiosity, slinking away from the bed to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Just focus on getting better, Romeo," she said finally, giving Mr. Fax a tired smile. "Then we can talk about getting coffee."

"Deal." He returned her smile before looking over to the badger doctor. "Well, doc, you heard the lady. Let's get me better."

Vivian left with a shake of her head. Moving through the halls of the hospital, back towards the trauma ward, her fingers twisted the warm metal of her wedding band. Exchanging bands was a more modern thing among foxes. Scent marks were more than enough for a married couple, bands were usually reserved for widows and widowers.

But the look in Matthew's eyes as she had slid his onto his paw, mere moments after he had done the same with hers, kept flashing in her mind.

 _It's only been three years_ , she thought as she rejoined the chaos _. What would your kits say? What sort of wife are you to even consider having coffee with someone other than your husband?_

Just…

… Stop.

…..

Morning was never a difficult thing for a Hopps bunny. Both Jack and Judy were used to being woken up well before sunrise to get some farm work in before going off to school. The buck's internal alarm clock was finely tuned to the routine, the habit having gotten worse when The Perk was first opened.

This morning, however, had him waking to the pleasant slide of a leg across his hip as a gentle paw slid down his chest. Smiling at the press of an inquisitive nose in his neck fur, he turned his head to nuzzle back. Getting up for the day was going to be very, very difficult if she kept doing that.

"Good morning," he murmured, Skye pulling back to smile into his eyes.

"Good morning." Their lips pressed together in a sleepy kiss. Skye giggled as he rolled himself on top of her, pressing kisses into her neck.

Waking up next to her was the most satisfying experience he had ever had. Even if they hadn't gone further than just kisses and cuddles. There was clumsiness in Skye's voice when she spoke about her father, endearing her even more to the bunny buck. Something told him she wasn't use to talking about him, as though she had burdened herself for the sake of her family.

Propping himself over her, Jack grinned down at her before kissing her lips.

"Mmmmm…" she groaned in delight when their kiss ended. Her big blue eyes batted up at him. "Are you always this affectionate in the morning, Agent Savage?"

Jack chuckled and kissed her again. "Only with you, gorgeous."

"You know," Skye began after kissing his lips again. Her paws moved to the front of his shirt, popping the buttons free. "We got a little sidetracked last night. Not exactly how I was hoping we would end the night."

"Is that so?" Jack lifted one of his paws and moved it to her knee before sliding it down her thigh, her skirt already bunched around her waist. "And how were you hoping the night would end, Miss Wilde?"

"Well, something like thi -"

A loud knock broke their spell, both growling at the interruption. The door swung open, revealing Nick with a paw clamped over his eyes.

"Are you two dressed?" he asked, ears flattened on his head.

With sighs, Jack pushed himself off Skye as they begrudgingly straightened out their clothing.

"Yes, Nick, we're dressed." Skye rolled her eyes as Nick peeked through his fingers and gave a dramatized sigh of relief.

"Good! Judy's making pancakes and Jon wants to know if you two are still alive."

"What time is it?" Jack asked as he reached for his phone. Sometime in the night, it worked its way out of his jean pocket. Which explained the knot in his thigh from where it had been jabbing him.

"It's eight thirty," answered Nick, smirking as the pair of them sprang out of bed in alarm.

"We're late!" They exclaimed at the same time.

"This is also not the morning I had in mind!" Jack said, Skye laughing in agreement.

Her eyes landed on her brother who laughed at them before heading back to the kitchen.

"I'm going to take Nick back to my apartment so we can change," she planned, after making sure she had gathered all of her things. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Sure you don't wanna play hooky?" They grinned at each other as they moved to the bedroom door. Skye's paw reached out and grabbed him, pressing him to the door frame and kissing him passionately.

"This is a 'To Be Continued', Agent Savage." Pressing another kiss to his lips, she smiled alluringly at him before heading to the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am," came his dazed response, a big grin plastered on his face.

…..

The day was actually fairly quiet. After the initial morning rush, everyone fell into their usual workday routine. Nick dutifully kept up with the pile of dishes, Judy rushed around the lobby making sure tables and floors were clean. Skye and Sandra were checking inventory while Kari and Gideon were setting up the dessert counter.

"Ok," muttered Jack, oblivious to the amused smile Skye gave him. "I have the cookie ingredients all set up for Gid to start on, Jon is working on lemon curd for the tarts, and we need to taste test the berry compote. And that sandwich shop ordered seven loaves of sourdough, so I have to check the starter. Busy, busy day…"

Muttering and running through his mental checklist of duties, Jack walked to the order board and pulled a few down. Sorting through them, he wandered into the front and stood where Gid and Kari were finishing up.

"I hope you like cookies, Gideon. We have to make enough for us and at least five orders so far." The buck grinned at the young fox's excited expression.

"I can't wait!" The young exclaimed. Kari laughed at his enthusiasm, shaking her head as he accepted the orders Jack offered him and rushing back to the kitchen to wash up. Jack smiled after him.

"Gotta love his spirit," the buck said happily. Exchanging a look with Kari, he pulled a to-do list from his apron pocket. "Since it's slow, I want you to do a walkthrough of the lobby. Nick and Judy finished detailing the kitchen a lot sooner than I thought they would. This should keep them occupied for at least a day or two "

The sound of the bells had both of them looking towards the door.

"Welcome to the Perk," greeted Kari, taking her place behind the register and smiling. "How can I help you?"

Jack felt his stomach drop. Teeth clenched, he gulped audibly and turned to look through the order window at Skye. They exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the ewe in front of the register.

"Well, well, well," the short, familiar female began, her green eyes filled with vindictive amusement. A hoof reached up to adjust her glasses as she smirked at the buck. "Isn't this a coincidence."

"I don't suppose you're here for one of our famous lattes and a muffin, are you?" Jack gave her smile that was only slightly nervous.

With a small laugh, the ewe from the bar shook her head. "Even better…" Her other paw pulled up a rolling briefcase. Bending to unzip one of its pockets, a metal clip board was pulled out and pen clicked open. Straightened up, she smiled wickedly again and adjusted her badge.

"Health inspection."


End file.
